PREPARATION OF BENZYL CYANIDE COMPOUND

摘要

PURPOSE:To prepare the titled compound useful as a synthetic intermediate of a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound, in high yield, by reacting an alpha- cyanoalkylcarboxylic acid ester with a nucleus halogen-substituted compound having aromatic nature in the presence of specific solvent and catalyst. CONSTITUTION:The alpha-cyanocarboxylic acid ester of formula I (R1 is H or lower alkyl; R2 is lower alkyl) is made to react with a strong base such as sodium hydride in a solvent selected from hexamethylphosphoric acid triamide and N- methylpyrrolidone (i.e. HMPA and NMP), and the resultant reaction mixture is added with a nucleus halogen-substituted compound having aromatic nature (hereinafter called as B) and made to react with each other in the presence of a copper halide (e.g. cuprous iodide) or copper and a halogen to obtain the objective benzyl cyanide compound of formula II (Ar is residue of B wherein one nucleus-substituted halogen is removed therefrom; R3 is R1).