Acetic Acid → Methyl 2-isocyano-2-(2-thienylmethyl)butyrate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A suspension of potassium tert.-butoxide (5.5 g) in tetrahydrofuran (50 ml) is cooled to -30° C., and a solution of methyl 2-isocyanobutyrate (5.5 g) in tetrahydrofuran (10 ml) is added dropwise to the suspension at -30° C. The mixture is stirred at the same temperature for 30 minutes and a solution of 2-bromomethylthiophene (6.9 g) in tetrahydrafuran (10 ml) is added dropwise to the mixture. The mixture is stirred at room temperature for 4 hours, adjusted to pH 7 with acetic acid and then concentrated under reduced pressure to remove solvent. The residue is dissolved in a mixture of ethyl acetate and water and the organic layer is collected therefrom. The organic layer is washed with an aqueous saturated sodium chloride solution, dried and concentrated to remove solvent. The residue is distilled under reduced pressure, whereby methyl 2-isocyano-2-(2-thienylmethyl)butyrate (7.7 g) is obtained as pale yellow oil.

Provenance & Evidence