Oxalic Acid → Methyl 1-methyl-5-(cyanohydroxyphenylmethyl)pyrrole-2-acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Benzoyl cyanide, 0.67 g (0.005 mole) and methyl 1-methylpyrrole-2-acetate, 0.76 g (0.005 mole) were stirred together in ether (2 ml) containing oxalic acid (0.04 g). The reaction was run in the dark at room temperature. After six days, the reaction mixture was placed in the freezer overnight, filtered, and washed with cold ether to yield 0.17 g (12 percent) of methyl 1-methyl-5-(cyanohydroxyphenylmethyl)pyrrole-2-acetate, mp 137°-8°. The solid state IR spectrum was identical to authentic material.

Provenance & Evidence