Abstract:
It is disclosed that citric acid or its salts are obtained by the hydrolysis of a 3-carbamoyl-3-hydroxy-4-cyanobutyric acid or salt, that a 3-carbamoyl-3-hydroxy-4-cyanobutyric acid or salt is obtained from a 3-carbamoyl-3,4-epoxybutyric acid or salt, that a 3-carbamoyl-3,4-epoxybutyric acid or salt is obtained from a 3carbamoyl-3-hydroxy-4-halobutyric acid or salt, that a 3carbamoyl-3-hydroxy-4-halobutyric acid is obtained from a 3cyano-3-hydroxy-4-halobutyric acid or salt, that a 3-cyano-3hydroxy-4-halobutyric acid or salt is obtained from a 3-oxo-4halobutyric acid or salt, that a 3-oxo-4-halobutyric acid or salt is obtained from a 3-oxo-4-halobutyryl halide, and that a 3-oxo4-halobutyryl halide is obtained from diketene. Preferred halide compounds are compounds of chlorine.
Abstract:
A process for producing pyrryl-2-acetonitriles by reacting in a homogeneous system a 2-(N,N-dialkylaminomethyl)-pyrrole with an alkylating agent such as dimethylsulfate, methyl iodide or benzyl chloride forming a quaternary salt and reacting the resultant reaction mixture with an aqueous alkali metal cyanide solution such as aqueous sodium cyanide in which the reaction is conducted in a substantially inert solvent selected from oxygen- and nitrogen-containing aliphatic hydrocarbons boiling in the range from about 50* to about 130*C, for example, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, etc.