Ammonium formate → 4-(4-Methyl-1h-imidazol-1-yl)benzenamine

Participants

Reaction Steps

Ammonium formate (2.202 g, 34.9 mmol) and palladium (10% w/w on carbon, 50% wet, 0.473 g, 4.44 mmol) were added to a solution 4-methyl-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-imidazole (4.73 g, 23.28 mmol) in ethanol (150 mL) and the resulting mixture was refluxed under nitrogen for 1 h then cooled to room temperature. An extra portion of ammonium formate (2.202 g, 34.9 mmol) was then added and the resulting mixture was refluxed for a further hour then cooled to room temperature and filtered through celite. Most of the solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue was loaded on a 50 g SCX column which was eluted with MeOH (5 CV) then with 2N NH3 in MeOH (5 CV). The ammonia fractions were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 4-(4-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)aniline (3.92 g, 21.06 mmol, 90%) as a yellow solid.

Provenance & Evidence