Ethyl Acetate → Methyl 4-(5-cyanoindol-3-ylmethyl)-3-methoxybenzoate

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Reaction Steps

A mixture of 5-cyanoindole (10 g) and freshly prepared silver carbonate on diatomaceous earth (40.66 g) was stirred and heated under reflux in toluene (100 ml) for 18 hr, under an atmosphere of nitrogen. The mixture was cooled to room temperature, methyl 4-bromomethyl-3-methoxybenzoate (22.7 g) added, and stirring continued for 4 hr. Ethyl acetate (200 ml) was added, the mixture filtered through diatomaceous earth, the filter pad washed with ethyl acetate and the filtrate evaporated. The dark oil obtained was purified by flash chromatography, eluting with 45:45:10 hexane:methylene chloride:ethyl acetate, to give a foam which was crystallized from toluene to give methyl 4-(5-cyanoindol-3-ylmethyl)-3-methoxybenzoate (11.8 g, 53%) as white crystals; mp 148°-149°; partial NMR (250 MHz, DMSO-d6): 3.83(s, 3H, OCH3), 3.91(s, 3H, OCH3), 4.08(s, 2H, ArCH2Ar'), 8.00(s, 1H, H4 -indole), 11.49(br s, 1H, H1 -indole).

Provenance & Evidence