Formaldehyde → Ethyl 2-cyano-3-hydroxypropanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A reactor was charged with 0.26 g (1 mmol) of acetylacetonatodicarbonylrhodium, 0.52 g (2 mmol) of triphenylphosphine, and 200 ml of tetrahydrofuran (THF). The mixture was stirred for 10 minutes in a nitrogen atmosphere. After the dropwise addition of 10.54 g (130 mmol) of a 37% formaldehyde aqueous solution and 11.31 g (100 mmol) of ethyl 2-cyanoacetate, the mixture was reacted at 25° C. for 16 hours with stirring. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluant: hexane/ethyl acetate (=10/1)) to obtain 9.16 g of ethyl 2-cyano-3-hydroxypropanoate shown by the following formula (M-18′) (yield: 64%).

Provenance & Evidence