Acetic Acid → 4′-Methyl-2-(2-nitroethenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl

Participants

Reaction Steps

4'-Methylbiphenyl-2-carboxaldehyde (13.21 g, 67.3 mmol (1.0 eq), nitromethane (4.74 mL, 87.5 mmol, 1.3 eq), ammonium acetate (2.07 g, 26.0 mmol, 0.4 eq) and glacial acetic acid (30 mL) were mixed and refluxed for 2 days, at which time more nitromethane (4.74 mL) and ammonium acetate (2.07 g) were added and the reaction was refluxed for an additional 5 hours. The reaction mixture was poured into ice water (300 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate (300 mL). The ethyl acetate layer was washed with water (3×200 mL), the organic layer dried (MgSO4), the solvent removed in vacuo and the residue chromatographed in 1:1 hexane/toluene to yield 11.22 g of a light yellow oil which crystallized. The product was recrystallized from methylcyclohexane to yield 8.47 g of yellow crystals; m.p. 64.0°-65.0° . NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3) δ 8.04 (d, 1 H, J=13 Hz); 7.69 (d, 1H, J=9 Hz) 7.59-7.37 (m, 4H); 7.50 (d, 1H, J=13 Hz); 7.27 (d, 2H, J=7 Hz); 7.19 (d, 2H, J=7 Hz); 2.41 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd. for C15H13NO2 : C, 75.30; H, 5.48; N, 5.85. Found: C, 75.32; H, 5.56; N, 5.58.

Provenance & Evidence