1-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-2-nitro-6-cyano-6-(prop-2-yl)-6-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)hexane → 1-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-2-amino-6-cyano-6-(i-propyl)-6-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)hexane

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Reaction Steps

A mixture of 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-nitro-6-cyano-6-(i-propyl)-6-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)hexane (10, 58.7 g, 0.125 mol) and methanol (950 mL) was added to a flask, and evacuated to remove oxygen. The catalyst, 5% Pd in carbon (50% water, 19 g, Engelhard Co.), was added under an N2 atmosphere. After stirring for 10 minutes at room temperature, solid HCO2NH4 (65 g, Aldrich) was added, and the resulting mixture stirred for 1 hour. The mixture was then slowly heated to 50° C. for 48 hours, then cooled to room temperature and filtered through Celite (50 g). The solids were washed with methanol (50 mL), the filtrates concentrated in vacuo, and the resulting solid dissolved in CH2Cl2. The solution was extracted with saturated aqueous NH4Cl (500 mL) and saturated aqueous NaHCO3 (300 mL), and the organic layer evaporated to yield 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-amino-6-cyano- 6-(i-propyl)-6-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)hexane (11, 52.3 g, MS m/e 440(M+)) as a pale yellow oil.

Provenance & Evidence