摘要 |
The invention is a process for alkylating nitriles using an electrogenerated base and an alkylating agent comprising (a) electro-reducing an azobenzene probase at a cathode in an electrolysis medium comprising the azobenzene probase, a nitrile and a supporting electrolyte to produce an electrogenerated base, (b) deprotonating the nitrile with the electrogenerated base to produce a nitrile anion, and (c) reacting the nitrile anion with alkylating agent to form alkylated nitrile; the probase being more easily electro-reducible than the nitrile and producing an electrogenerated base strong enough to deprotonate the nitrile which is sufficiently acidic to permit such deprotonation, and the electrogenerated base not reacting readily, unless rapidly reversibly, with the alkylating agent.
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