2-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methylamino]acetonitrile

Conditions: temp:90.01; pressure:0.00; stir:; See reaction.notes.procedure_details.

Procedure: Oxalyl chloride (17.5 ml, 200 mmol) was added dropwise via a dropping funnel to a mixture of compound (7) (8.5 g, 48.2 mmol) in chlorobenzene (60 ml). The reaction was heated at about 90° C. for about 16 h. The solvent was removed. The resulting mixture was deposited onto silica gel and loaded onto a silica gel column and eluted with Hex/EtOAc (10:1) to afford 3,5-dichloro-1-(4-methoxybenzyl)pyrazin-2(1H)-one (4.0 g, 13.33 mmol, 27.6% yield). The solvent was removed eluted with Hex/EtOAc (10:1)

Conditions: temp:10.01; pressure:0.00; stir:; See reaction.notes.procedure_details.

Procedure: A mixture of TEA (55.9 ml, 401 mmol), (4-methoxyphenyl)methanamine (50 g, 364 mmol) and 2-bromoacetonitrile (43.7 g, 364 mmol) in THF (500 ml) was stirred at about 10° C. for about 12 h in a 500 ml round-bottomed flask. The reaction was filtered through a pad of silica gel. The crude material was deposited onto silica gel, loaded onto a silica gel column and eluted with Hex/EtOAc (1:1) to afford the title compound (49 g, 278 mmol, 76% yield). 1H-NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz): δ=3.55 (s, 2H), 3.81 (s, 3H), 3.87 (s, 2H), 6.88 (d, 2H, J=8.4 Hz), 7.26 (d, 2H, J=8.0 Hz) The reaction was filtered through a pad of silica gel eluted with Hex/EtOAc (1:1)