5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxamide

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

Procedure: A mixture of 575 g diethyl glutamate and 700 ml concentrated ammonium hydroxide was stirred for 10 hours, and kept in the freezer at (-20° C.) for 5 hours. The resulting white crystalline solid was filtered, washed with 500 ml ethanol followed by 200 ml ether and dried in a vacuum oven at 70° C. for 16 hours to remove the water of crystallization giving 270 g (78.6%) of white crystalline 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxamide. kept in the freezer at (-20° C.) for 5 hours The resulting white crystalline solid was filtered washed with 500 ml ethanol dried in a vacuum oven at 70° C. for 16 hours to remove the water of crystallization