Ethyl 4-cyano-4-(2,3-difluorophenyl)butanoate → 5-(2,3-Difluorophenyl)piperidin-2-one

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of ethyl 4-cyano-4-(2,3-difluorophenyl)butanoate (18.5 g, 73.1 mmol), Raney nickel (slurry in water, ca. 30 g), and ammonia (2.0 M in EtOH, 550 mL) was stirred vigorously under an atmosphere of hydrogen (ca. 1 atm) for 18 h. The reaction mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite®, washing with EtOH, and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to give a crude solid. Recrystallization from EtOAc afforded the title compound. MS: m/z=211.9 (M+1).

Provenance & Evidence