Sodium Cyanide → (R)-(+)-4-tert. butoxy-3-methylbutyronitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 23.1 g. (0.11 mole) of bromo ether (S)-(+)-3-tert. butoxy-2-methyl-1-bromopropane and 11.07 g. (0.225 mole) of sodium cyanide in 144 ml. of water was stirred and refluxed for 17 hours. After cooling, the reaction mixture was diluted with water and worked up by extraction with CH2Cl2 in the manner of Example 1. The crude product was chromatographed on 500 g. of silica gel. Elution with 9:1 parts by volume and 4:1 parts by volume hexane-ether followed by evaporative distillation gave (R)-(+)-4-tert. butoxy-3-methylbutyronitrile (11.3 g.; 64.5%) as a colorless liquid, b.p. 88°-90° C. (bath temperature) (11 mm Hg.); [α]25D + 7.41° (c 1.8, C6H6).

Provenance & Evidence