Benzeneacetonitrile, 4-bromo- → Methyl 2-(4-(cyanomethyl)benzyl)-3-oxobutanoate

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Reaction Steps

A stirred mixture of methyl 3-hydroxy-2-methylenebutanoate (19.5 g), 2-(4-bromophenyl)acetonitrile (40 g), PdOAc2 (2 g), tetrabutylammonium bromide (40 g) and NaHCO3 (31.5 g) in THF (300 ml) was heated under N2 at reflux for 24 h. The mixture was cooled, diluted with ether (500 ml) and filtered through celite. The filtrate was washed with water, dried and evaporated under reduced pressure to give an oil, used crude in next step.

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