A Passerini/Michael Pathway towards Butyrolactones
Abstract
The Passerini adducts of aromatic aldehydes may act as nucleophiles in Michael additions with acrylonitrile. The reaction proceeds together with hydrolysis of the ester. The resulting γ‐hydroxynitrile may be cyclized under acidic conditions to afford a three‐steps synthesis of γ‐butyrolactones from isocyanides.