Acetone Cyanohydrin → (3S)-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanenitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 40.0 g of (R)-styrene oxide, 31.12 g of acetone cyanohydrin, 36.96 g of triethylamine, and 150 ml of tetrahydrofuran was heated at reflux for 18 hours. The reaction mixture was cooled, concentrated in vacuo, diluted with 200 ml of 2N potassium hydroxide, and extracted with diethyl ether. The ether extracts were combined, dried over magnesium sulfate, and concentrated in vacuo providing 34.3 g of the title intermediate.

Provenance & Evidence