Cyclobutylamine → 1-cyclobutyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole

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Reaction Steps

1,4-Dinitroimidazole (237 mg, 1.5 mmol, J. Phys. Chem. 1995, 99, 5009–5015) was added to a solution of cyclobutylamine (107 mg, 1.5 mmol) in methanol (10 mL) at 23° C. The reaction mixture was stirred for 16 h, then the solvent was removed in vacuo and the resulting residue was purified by silica gel chromatography (1:1 hexanes-ethyl acetate) to afford 230 mg (92% yield) of 1-cyclobutyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ 7.81 (s, 1H), 7.45 (s, 1H), 4.64 (m, 1H), 2.6 (m, 2H), 2.4 (m, 2H), 2.0 (m, 2H); MS (AP/CI): 168.2 (M+H)+. Note: 1,4-Dinitroimidazole is a highly energetic, semi-stable substance and should be stored in a freezer at all times it is not in use. Thermodynamic measurements have shown that it can potentially generate enough energy at 35° C. under adiabatic conditions to violently explode. Extreme caution should be exercised at all times using this material.

Provenance & Evidence