Efficient synthesis in water of mixed carbonates of cyanohydrins from aromatic aldehydes

Abstract

An efficient preparation of cyanohydrin ethyl carbonates via cyanocarbonation of aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes with sodium cyanide and ethyl chlorocarbonate using commercial surfactants (5 mol %) in aqueous media at low temperature afforded almost quantitative isolated yields ( 94%) in 30 min. Aromatic aldehydes bearing electron-donating as well as electron-withdrawing groups have been successfully employed without any significant changes. Centrifugation of the reaction mixture allows accessible purification without the need of solvent extraction. Reaction conditions can be readily upscaled to multigrams.