Dimethyl Sulfoxide → tert-Butyl 3-(2-oxoethyl)azetidine-1-carboxylate

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of oxalyl chloride (488 μl, 5.58 mmol) in 40 ml dichloromethane at −78° C. was added dimethyl sulfoxide (792 μl, 11.16 mmol) dropwise by syringe. The mixture was stirred for 15 minutes at −78° C. when a solution of tert-butyl 3-(2-hydroxyethyl)azetidine-1-carboxylate (936 mg, 4.65 mmol) in 10 ml dichloromethane was added dropwise by syringe. After 1 hour at −78° C., triethylamine (3241 μl, 23.25 mmol) was added and the suspension was warmed to room temperature and stirred for an additional hour. The mixture was quenched with water (25 ml) and saturated aqueous potassium carbonate (10 ml), stirred vigorously and separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane (2×20 ml) and the combined organic layers were dried with magnesium sulfate, filtered and concentrated. The crude material was flash chromatographed to give the title compound.

Provenance & Evidence