Sulfuric Acid → Butyl 3-[benzyl(cyanomethyl)amino]butanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution of 4.6 g of 3-(N-benzyl-N-cyanomethylamino)butyric acid in 100 ml of n-butanol is combined with 0.5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid and the mixture is heated for 4 hours on a water trap under reflux. The reaction mixture is allowed to cool, concentrated to dryness, and the residue dissolved in diethyl ether. The ether solution is washed with 10% sodium bicarbonate solution and saturated sodium chloride solution, dried, and evaporated to dryness. The oily residue is distilled in a bulb tube at 85°-105° C. and 0.01 torr, thus obtaining 1.17 g of 3-(N-benzyl-N-cyanomethylamino)butyric acid n-butyl ester as an oil.

Provenance & Evidence