Phenacylpyridines oximes

A soln. of 3 gm. a-phenacylpyridine oxime in abs. ether shaken while gradually treated with no more than 3 gm. of PCI, shaking continued for 3 hrs., then made faintly alkaline with K2C0s — crude a-pyridylacetic acid anilide (Y 90%) dissolved in abs. alcohol, HCl-gas passed in, and boiled 3 hrs. —ethyl a-pyridyl-acetate (startg. m. f. 356) (Y 80-85%). (F. Galinovsky and G. Kainz, M. 77, 137 (1947).)... 

Pyridylacetic esters have been obtained previously only by the method of Oparina, through alcoholysis of 2-pyridyl-acetanilide which was obtained by Beckmann rearrangement of the oxime of 2-phenacylpyridine. 

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