Trimethylsilyl cyanide → Methyl 3-(cyanomethyl)benzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

To an ice-cold solution of methyl 3-bromomethylbenzoate (9.1 g, 40 mmol) in CH3CN (108 mL) was added tetrabutylammonium fluoride (17.3 mL, 60 mmol) and trimethylsilylcyanide (8.0 mL, 60 mmol), and the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 20 h. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure. Purification by flash column chromatography (silica, 1:1 EtOAc/hexanes) provided methyl 3-cyanomethylbenzoate as a clear oil (3.0 g, 43%): 1H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 7.97 (s, 1H), 7.92 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.64 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.56 (t, J=8 Hz, 1H), 4.16 (s, 2H), 3.87 (s, 3H).

Provenance & Evidence