ethyl 2-(3H-inden-1-yl)acetate

Conditions: temp:0.00; pressure:0.00; stir:

Conditions: temp:-78.01; pressure:0.00; stir:; See reaction.notes.procedure_details.

Procedure: To a suspension of copper iodide (1.9 g, 9.9 mmol) in diethyl ether (10 mL) was added methyl lithium (12.4 mL, 19.8 mmol, 1.6M in diethyl ether) at 0° C. and the mixture was stirred for 10 min. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure at 0° C. and then CH2Cl2 (10 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred for 5 minutes at 0° C., and then the solvent was removed again under reduced pressure at 0° C. To the residue was added pre-cooled CH2Cl2 (75 mL), cooled to −78° C., and then added trimethylsilyl chloride (1.3 mL, 9.9 mmol) and a solution of a mixture of (E)-ethyl 2-(2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene)acetate and ethyl 2-(1H-inden-3-yl)acetate (1:1 mixture, 1 g, 4.9 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (10 mL), successively. The resulted mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred overnight. The reaction was quenched by addition of a mixture of aqueous saturated NH4Cl and 28% NH4OH (1:1, 50 mL). The mixture was extracted with diethyl ether (3×50 mL) and the combined extracts were washed with water, dried (Na2SO4), filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The crude product was purified by flash chromatography (Hexanes-EtOAc, 0 to 10%) to give 0.47 g of the title compound. Additionally, 0.17 g of unreacted ethyl 2-(1H-inden-3-yl)acetate was recovered. MS (DCI/NH3) m/z 236 (M+NH4)+. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure at 0° C. CH2Cl2 (10 mL) was added The reaction mixture was stirred for 5 minutes at 0° C. the solvent was removed again under reduced pressure at 0° C To the residue was added pre-cooled CH2Cl2 (75 mL) to warm to room temperature stirred overnight The reaction was quenched by addition of a mixture of aqueous saturated NH4Cl and 28% NH4OH (1:1, 50 mL) The mixture was extracted with diethyl ether (3×50 mL) the combined extracts were washed with water dried (Na2SO4) filtered concentrated under reduced pressure The crude product was purified by flash chromatography (Hexanes-EtOAc, 0 to 10%)