Syntheses of Arylacetone and Arylacetonitrile by Friedel-Crafts Reaction with α-Chloro-α-(methylthio)-substituted Acetone and Acetonitrile

Abstract

Novel preparative methods for arylacetone and arylacetonitrile are described. Friedel-Crafts reactions of aromatic compounds with α-chloro-α-(methylthio) acetone (4) and α-chloro-α-(methylthio) acetonitrile (7) in the presence of Lewis acid afforded α-(methylthio)-arylacetone (5) and α-(methylthio) arylacetonitrile (8), respectively. Compounds (5) and (8) were converted into the corresponding arylacetone (6) and arylacetonitrile (9) by reduction with zinc dust in acetic acid.