Potassium Cyanide → (3-Fluoro-5-methoxyphenyl)acetonitrile

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 1-(chloromethyl)-3-fluoro-5-methoxybenzene (2.9 g, 17 mmol) in DMSO (20 mL), a solution of KCN (2.2 g, 34 mmol) and KI (5.6 g, 34 mmol) in H2O (10 mL) was added. The mixture was stirred at 45° C. for 6 h, poured into H2O (20 mL), and extracted with DCM (3×30 mL). The organic phase was washed with brine (2×10 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and concentrated to give 2.62 g of 2-(3-fluoro-5-methoxyphenyl)acetonitrile. 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 6.62-6.68 (m, 2H), 6.56-6.60 (m, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.70 (s, 2H).

Provenance & Evidence