A Convenient Preparation of Trifluoroacetonitrile: Application to the Synthesis of a Novel Pyrimidinone Building Block

Abstract

The generation of trifluoroacetonitrile (1) under mild conditions and controlled rates from easily accessible starting materials is described. Dehydration of trifluoroacetamide (2) with trifluoroacetic anhydride in pyridine generates trifluoroacetonitrile at ambient temperatures. As the trifluoroacetonitrile is formed, it distills out of the pyridine reaction mixture and is bubbled into a primary reaction vessel. The rate at which the gas is formed is controlled by the rate of addition of the reactants. The practicality of this method is exemplified via the synthesis of multigram quantities of a novel pyrimidinone building block 3.

Keywords:

• Trifluoro acetonitrile
• Pyrimidinone
• Heterocyclic chemistry
• Dehydration