Nitriles, preparation from

Nitriles and simple amides differ in physical properties the former are liquids or low-melting Solids, whilst the latter are generally solids. If the amide is a solid and insoluble in water, it may be readily prepared from the nitrile by dissolving in concentrated sulphuric acid and pouring the solution into water ... 

Alkylthiazoles can be oxidized to nitriles in the presence of ammonia and a catalyst. For example, 4-cyanothiazole was prepared from 4-methylthiazole by a one-step vapor-phase process (94) involving reaction with a mixture of air, oxygen, and ammonia at 380 to 460°C. The catalyst was M0O3 and V Oj or M0O3, VjOj, and CoO on an alumina support. 

Because nitriles can be prepared from alkyl halides by nucleophilic substitution with cyanide ion the overall process RX RC=N RCH2NH2 leads to primary amines that have one more carbon atom than the starting alkyl halide... 

Ketenimines are usually prepared from carboxyHc acid derivatives such as amides and imino chlorides via elimination and from nitriles via alkylation with alkyl haHdes under strong basic conditions (21,64). 

A/-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)glycine can be prepared from 4-aminophenol and chloracetic acid (199,200) or by alkaline hydrolysis of the corresponding nitrile with subsequent elimination of ammonia (201). 

Organic Acids and Their Derivatives (Anhydrides, Nitriles, Ureas). Alkyleneamines react with acids, esters, acid anhydrides or acyl hahdes to form amidoamines and polyamides. Various diamides of EDA are prepared from the appropriate methyl ester or acid at moderate temperatures (25,26). 

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and aliphatic nittiles (RCN) can be used to form imidazolines. For example, EDA and HCN form 2-imidazoline (38). In the presence of sulfur or polysulfides as catalysts, 2-aIkyl-2-imidazolines can be prepared from ahphatic nitriles and EDA (39,40). 

Other modifications of the polyamines include limited addition of alkylene oxide to yield the corresponding hydroxyalkyl derivatives (225) and cyanoethylation of DETA or TETA, usuaHy by reaction with acrylonitrile [107-13-1/, to give derivatives providing longer pot Hfe and better wetting of glass (226). Also included are ketimines, made by the reaction of EDA with acetone for example. These derivatives can also be hydrogenated, as in the case of the equimolar adducts of DETA and methyl isobutyl ketone [108-10-1] or methyl isoamyl ketone [110-12-3] (221 or used as is to provide moisture cure performance. Mannich bases prepared from a phenol, formaldehyde and a polyamine are also used, such as the hardener prepared from cresol, DETA, and formaldehyde (228). Other modifications of polyamines for use as epoxy hardeners include reaction with aldehydes (229), epoxidized fatty nitriles (230), aromatic monoisocyanates (231), or propylene sulfide [1072-43-1] (232). 

Third Monomers. In order to achieve certain property improvements, nitrile mbber producers add a third monomer to the emulsion polymerization process. When methacrylic acid is added to the polymer stmcture, a carboxylated nitrile mbber with greatly enhanced abrasion properties is achieved (9). Carboxylated nitrile mbber carries the ASTM designation of XNBR. Cross-linking monomers, eg, divinylbenzene or ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, produce precross-linked mbbers with low nerve and die swell. To avoid extraction losses of antioxidant as a result of contact with fluids duriag service, grades of NBR are available that have utilized a special third monomer that contains an antioxidant moiety (10). FiaaHy, terpolymers prepared from 1,3-butadiene, acrylonitrile, and isoprene are also commercially available. 

Pyridazinecarboxamides are prepared from the corresponding esters or acid chlorides with ammonia or amines or by partial hydrolysis of cyanopyridazines. Pyridazinecarboxamides with a variety of substituents are easily dehydrated to nitriles with phosphorus oxychloride and are converted into the corresponding acids by acid or alkaline hydrolysis. They undergo Hofmann degradation to give the corresponding amines, while in the case of two ortho carboxamide groups pyrimidopyridazines are formed. 

Strong nucleophiles such as Grignard reagents. In general, ortho esters are difficult to prepare directly from acids and are therefore more often prepared from the nitrile. Simple ortho esters derived from normal alcohols are the least stable in terms of acid stability and stability toward Grignard reagents, but as the ortho ester becomes more constrained its stability increases. 

This method is an adaptation of that of Dengel. -Methoxy-phenylacetonitrile can also be prepared by the metathetical reaction of anisyl chloride with alkali cyanides in a variety of aqueous solvent mixtures by the nitration of phenylaceto-nitrile, followed by reduction, diazotization, hydrolysis, and methylation 1 by the reduction of ct-benzoxy- -methoxy-phenylacetonitrile (prepared from anisaldehyde, sodium cyanide, and benzoyl chloride) and by the reaction of acetic anhydride with the oxime of -methoxyphenylpyruvic acid. ... 

The requisite starting cyanohydrin is readily prepared from a 20-keto-pregnane substitution at C-21 has no effect on the success of this step. However, the stability of the cyanohydrin is markedly dependent on other features of the molecule thus a 3-acetate confers greater stability than the free alcohol, and a 3-ketone is so unstable that subsequent dehydration with phosphorus oxychloride gives poor yields of the A -unsaturated nitrile. 

However, when the addition is performed 111 a nucleopliilic solvent such as methanol, cleavage of the imine linkage occurs to give difliioroamino compounds [78] (equation 12) W, At-Difluorotrifluoromethylamine can be prepared from or from thiocyanates, as shown in equation 13 [79, 80] Another way to produce difluoroamino compounds is the addition of fluorine to nitriles by means of AgFj [Sf ] or C0F3 [S/]... 

The ketoxime derivatives, required as starting materials, can be prepared from the appropriate aromatic, aliphatic or heterocyclic ketone. Aldoximes (where R is H) do not undergo the rearrangement reaction, but rather an elimination of toluenesulfonic acid to yield a nitrile. With ketoxime tosylates a Beckmann rearrangement may be observed as a side-reaction. 

Replacement of one of the phenyl groups by an alkyl group of similar bulk, on the other hand, alters the biologic activity in this series. Alkylation of phenylacetonitrile with isopropyl bromide affords the substituted nitrile, 136. Treatment of the anion prepared from 136 with strong base with 2-dimethylamino-l-chloropropane gives isoaminile (137). It is of note that alkylation of this halide, isomeric with that used in the early methadone synthesis, is apparently unaccompanied by isomer formation. Isoaminile is an agent with antitussive activity. 

A thioamide of isonicotinic acid has also shown tuberculostatic activity in the clinic. The additional substitution on the pyridine ring precludes its preparation from simple starting materials. Reaction of ethyl methyl ketone with ethyl oxalate leads to the ester-diketone, 12 (shown as its enol). Condensation of this with cyanoacetamide gives the substituted pyridone, 13, which contains both the ethyl and carboxyl groups in the desired position. The nitrile group is then excised by means of decarboxylative hydrolysis. Treatment of the pyridone (14) with phosphorus oxychloride converts that compound (after exposure to ethanol to take the acid chloride to the ester) to the chloro-pyridine, 15. The halogen is then removed by catalytic reduction (16). The ester at the 4 position is converted to the desired functionality by successive conversion to the amide (17), dehydration to the nitrile (18), and finally addition of hydrogen sulfide. There is thus obtained ethionamide (19)... 

In order to establish the primary character of farnesol, farnesenic acid was prepared from farnesal oxime and the corresponding nitrile. Saponification of the farnesene-nitrile with caustic soda solution yields farnesenic acid and acetic acid, and also a ketone which was identified as a dihydropsewdoionone. The semi-carbazone melts between 95° and 96°. The dihydropmtdoionone from farnesene nitrile proved to be... 

The methionine nitrile (20 g) is dissolved in a solution prepared from 50 ml of aqueous 5N sodium hydroxide solution and 65 ml of ethanol. The solution is then refluxed for 24 hours ammonia is evolved. The solution is treated with activated carbon, filtered, acidified with glacial acetic acid (17 ml), chilled to -10°C and filtered to give crude product. This crude product is then slurried with a solution made up of 20 ml of water and 20 ml of methanol, filtered at -5° to -H0°C and dried to give dl-methionine as white platelets. 

The above keto-nitrile (15 grams) was methylated with a solution of diazomethane in ether. (The diazomethane solution was prepared using 20 grams of N-nitrosomethylurea.) The ether and excess diazomethane were evaporated on the steam bath and the oil dissolved in ethanol (50 ml). To this was added a solution of guanidine in ethanol (100 ml) (prepared from 8.1 grams of the hydrochloride). The solution was refluxed for 5 hours, the alcohol removed and the residue treated with 5N sodium hydroxide. The insoluble material was then filtered. After purification by precipitation from dilute acetic acid with sodium hydroxide and by recrystallization from ethanol the product formed clear colorless needles (8.0 grams), MP 218°-220°C as described in U.S. Patent 2,602,794. 

Carboxylic acids can be prepared from nitriles by reaction with hot aqueous acid or base by a mechanism that we ll see in Section 20.9. Since nitriles themselves are usually made by Sts 2 reaction of a primary or secondary7 alkyl halide with CN , the two-step sequence of cyanide displacement followed by nitiile hydrolysis is a good way to make a carboxylic acid from an alkyl halide (RBr —> RC=N RC02H). 

The following carboxylic acid can t be prepared from an alkyl halide by either the nitrile hydrolysis route or the Grignard carboxylation route. Explain. 

Similar treatment of an arenediazonium salt with CuCN yields the nitrile, ArCN, which can then be further converted into other functional groups such as carboxyl, for example, Sandmeyer reaction of o-methylbenzenediazonium bisulfate with CuCN yields o-methylbenzonitrile, which can be hydrolyzed to give o-methylbenzoic acid. This product can t be prepared from o-xvlene by the usual side-chain oxidation route because both methyl groups would be oxidized. 

Arylamines are converted by diazotization with nitrous acid into arenediazonium salts, ArN2+ X-. The diazonio group can then be replaced by many other substituents in the Sandmeyer reaction to give a wide variety of substituted aromatic compounds. Aryl chlorides, bromides, iodides, and nitriles can be prepared from arenediazonium salts, as can arenes and phenols. In addition to their reactivity toward substitution reactions, diazonium salts undergo coupling with phenols and arylamines to give brightly colored azo dyes. 

Diphenyl-1//-1,2,4-benzotriazepines 3 are formed in good yield by the cydization of the nitrilium salts 2, which in turn are prepared from the benzenehydrazonyl chloride 1 and nitriles... 

---