Hydroxyacetonitrile → N-carboxymethyl-N-cyanomethylamino-2-ethanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

The hydrolysis of (1) with base gives N-carboxymethylamino-2-ethanol (II). Compound (II) is then reacted with additional glycolonitrile to form N-carboxymethyl-N-cyanomethylamino-2-ethanol (III). The molar ratio of (II) to glycolonitrile is generally about 1:1. In the above reactions, hydrogen cyanide and formaldehyde can be substituted for glycolonitrile.

Provenance & Evidence