3-Fluorophenol → 2-Cyano-3-(3-fluorophenoxymethyl)pyridine

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a chilled solution of sodium ethoxide, prepared from 13.8 g of sodium metal and 240 ml of absolute ethanol, 56.9 ml of 3-fluorophenol was added and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes. Crude 3-bromomethyl-2-cyanopyridine (103 g) was added to the mixture at 5° C., and the mixture was reflexed for 2 hours. After being concentrated, the reaction mixture was diluted with ether, and the resultant insoluble materials were removed by filtration. The filtrate was washed with 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and then concentrated. The residue was crystallized by trituration with a mixture of ether and n-hexane to yield 58.0 g of pale brown crystals, which were recrystallized from isopropyl ether to give pale yellow needles, mp 52°-53° C.

Provenance & Evidence