Acetic Acid → Racemic 6-chloro-3-(3,3-dimethyl-1-nitromethyl-butyl)-1,3-dihydro-indol-2-one

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Reaction Steps

To a solution of nitromethane (Aldrich) (1.7 g, 27 mmol) in methanol (20 mL) was slowly added a methanolic solution (Aldrich, 25 wt. %) of sodium methoxide (5.9 g, 27 mmol). After the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 10 min, a solution of E/Z-6-chloro-3-(3,3-dimethyl-butylidene)-1,3-dihydro-indol-2-one (3.4 g, 14 mmol) in methanol (20 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h, then acetic acid (2.5 g, 41 mmol) was added. The mixture was concentrated to a small volume, then the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was separated, the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layers were combined, washed with saturated aqueous NaHCO3, brine, dried over MgSO4, and concentrated. The residue was purified by chromatography (EtOAc:hexanes=1:5, 1:3) to give the racemic 6-chloro-3-(3,3-dimethyl-1-nitromethyl-butyl)-1,3-dihydro-indol-2-one as a white foam (3.8 g, 90%).

Provenance & Evidence