Sodium Cyanide → Benzo[b]thiophene-3-acetonitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a stirred solution of NaCN (1.4 g, 28.5 mmol) in DMSO (8 mL) was added 3-(chloromethyl)-1-benzothiophene (4 gm, 21.9 mmol) in DMSO (6 mL) over 15 min. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 h and then quenched with water and extracted with ether (2×50 mL). The organic layer was washed with brine, dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue obtained was purified by silica gel column chromatography using ethyl acetate-hexane (1:1) to furnish 1-benzothien-3-ylacetonitrile (2.5 g, 65%). 1H NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ 3.69 (s, 2H), 7.25-7.91 (m, 5H).

Provenance & Evidence