Ammonia → 4-Chloro-nicotinonitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

Acetic acid ester i is converted to 3-oxo-butyronitrile ii by reaction with the anion of acetonitrile prepared by reaction of acetonitrile (CH3CN) with a strong base such as n-butyl lithium (n-BuLi) in a solvent such as THF. Reaction of oxo-butyronitrile ii with dimethylformamide-dimethyl acetal (DMF-DMA) in a solvent such as DMF at high temperature (e.g., 122° C.) results in the formation of bisdimethylaminomethylene intermediate iii which is converted to 4-hydroxy-nicotinonitrile iv by reaction with ammonia (NH3) or ammonium acetate (NH4OAc) in a solvent such as ethanol at reflux. Reaction of the hydroxypyridine with refluxing phosphorous oxychloride (POCl3) with or without catalytic DMF for 2 to 6 hours results in conversion to 4-chloro-nicotinonitrile v.

Provenance & Evidence