Nitromethane → (1-Nitromethyl-cyclobutyl)-acetic Acid Ethyl Ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

The unsaturated ester (2) (5.79 g, 41.4 mmol) was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (20 mL) and stirred at 70° C. with nitromethane (4.67 mL, 86.4 mmol) and tetrabutylammonium fluoride (1.0 M in tetrahydrofuran, 55 mL, 55.0 mmol). After 18 hours, the mixture was cooled to room temperature, diluted with ethyl acetate (150 mL), and washed with 2N HCl (60 mL) followed by brine (100 mL). The organic phase was collected, dried (MgSO4), and the solvent removed in vacuo. The residue was purified by flash chromatography (silica, ethyl acetate:heptane 1:1) to give 4.34 g (52%) of a clear oil.

Provenance & Evidence