Acetonitrile → Pentanenitrile, 4,4-dimethyl-3-oxo-

Participants

Reaction Steps

To 2.5 l of liquid ammonia containing 2.5 g of anhydrous ferric chloride was cautiously added 132 g of sodium metal portionwise while keeping the temperature of the reaction mixture at -50° C. To this portion was added rapidly a solution of 234 g of acetonitrile diluted with 300 ml of anhydrous diethyl ether followed by the controlled addition of a solution of 332 g methyl pivaloate diluted with 300 ml anhydrous ether at such a rate that the reaction temperature did not exceed -30° C. Allowed reaction to warm up to room temperature overnight. After all of the ammonia has evaporated off, 1 kg of crushed ice is added followed by enough cold water to make the final volume 4.5 l. The mixture is stirred for 30 min., then filtered through a celite bed. The celite was washed well with cold water and 1 l of 1:1 ether/hexane. The phases were separated, discarding the organic layer. The aqueous layer was cautiously acidified with conc. HCl, cooling as necessary to keep the temperature below 35° C. The acidified aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane (3×500 ml). The combined organic phases were dried over MgSO4, filtered, and the solvent removed to yield 316 g of the desired product, M.P. 68° C.

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