Potassium Cyanide → 2-(4-Bromo-2-fluorophenyl)acetonitrile

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 4-bromo-1-(bromomethyl)-2-fluorobenzene (5.0 g, 18.7 mmol) in DMF (80 mL) and H2O (8 mL) was added KCN (1.21 g, 18.7 mmol). The mixture was heated to 40° C. for 3 hours before it was cooled down to room temperature. The reaction was diluted with H2O (40 mL) and extracted with Et2O (3×100 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with brine and dried over Na2SO4. The solvent was removed and the residue was purified by flash column chromatography (0–15% EtOAc in hexanes) to give the product (3.5 g, 87% yield). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ: 3.72 (s, 2 H), 7.26–7.35 (m, 3 H).

Provenance & Evidence