Sodium hydride → 4-(5-Methyl-3-nitropyrid-2-yl)-4,4-bis(carbethoxy)butyronitrile

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Reaction Steps

2-(2-Cyanoethyl)malonic acid diethylester (40 g) was reacted with sodium hydride (4.4 gm) in tetrahydrofuran at 20° C. 2-Chloro-5-methyl-3-nitro-pyridine (35 g) was added and the internal temperature was raised to 100° C. (some tetrahydrofuran distilled off) over 4.25 hrs. The reaction mixture was partitioned between chloroform and water and treated with charcoal. Vacuum distillation of the chloroform extract and then chromatography (CHCl3, silica column) of the distillation residues gave 4-(5-methyl-3-nitropyrid-2-yl)-4,4-bis(carbethoxy)butyronitrile (24.5 g) as a yellow solid m.p. 48°-49° C.

Provenance & Evidence