Carbon Dioxide → 2-Methylpiperidine

Participants

Reaction Steps

Cyanoacetic acid (1.75 g., 0.02 mole) was dissolved in 10 ml. of dioxane. In a five minute period 4-t-butylpiperidine (2.8 g., 0.02 mole) was added, the temperature rose to 25° C. from 15° C. obtained by prior cooling with an ice bath. The mixture which solidified became fluid upon the addition of 37% aqueous formaldehyde (3.6 g., 0.04 mole), the temperature rose to 30° C. and carbon dioxide evolution began. The mixture was stirred an additional 12 hours, was taken up in ether and the organic phase separated and washed with water. The dried ether solution was stripped of solvent to leave a solid residue product, 3.7 g. of practically analytical purity. In place of 4-t-butylpiperidine, the use of 2-methylpiperidine (0.02 mole) provided 2-[(2-methyl-1-piperidyl)methyl]propenenitrile as a colorless oil, RfSiO2 0.58 (5% ethanol in methylene chloride).

Provenance & Evidence