2-Cyanoacetamide is an
organic compound
Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...
. It is an
acetic amide
In organic chemistry, an amide, also known as an organic amide or a carboxamide, is a chemical compound, compound with the general formula , where R, R', and R″ represent any group, typically organyl functional group, groups or hydrogen at ...
with a
nitrile
In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The name of the compound is composed of a base, which includes the carbon of the , suffixed with "nitrile", so for example is called " propionitrile" (or pr ...
functional group
In organic chemistry, a functional group is any substituent or moiety (chemistry), moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions r ...
.
Uses
Cyanoacetamide is used in
spectrofluorimetric methods to determine the activity of
antihistamine H1 receptor antagonist
A receptor antagonist is a type of receptor ligand or drug that blocks or dampens a biological response by binding to and blocking a receptor rather than activating it like an agonist. Antagonist drugs interfere in the natural operation of rec ...
ic drugs such as
ebastine
Ebastine is a H1 antihistamine with low potential for causing drowsiness.
It does not penetrate the blood–brain barrier to a significant amount and thus combines an effective block of the H1 receptor in peripheral tissue with a low incid ...
,
cetirizine dihydrochloride and
fexofenadine hydrochloride.
Preparation
2-Cyanoacetamide is prepared from
chloroacetic acid
Chloroacetic acid, industrially known as monochloroacetic acid (MCA), is the organochlorine compound with the formula . This carboxylic acid is a useful building block in organic synthesis. It is a colorless solid. Related compounds are dichlo ...
via
Kolbe nitrile synthesis
The Kolbe nitrile synthesis is a method for the preparation of alkyl nitriles by reaction of the corresponding organohalide, alkyl halide with a metal cyanide. A side product for this reaction is the formation of an isonitrile because the cyanide i ...
followed by
Fischer esterification
Fischer is a German occupational surname, meaning fisherman. The name Fischer is the fourth most common German surname. The English version is Fisher.
People with the surname A
* Abraham Fischer (1850–1913) South African public official
* ...
and
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds contain a distin ...
aminolysis
In chemistry, aminolysis (/am·i·nol·y·sis/) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule is Chemical decomposition, lysed (split into two parts) by reacting with ammonia () or an amine. The case where the reaction involves ammonia may be more ...
.
See also
*
Chloroacetamide
Chloroacetamide (2-chloroacetamide) is a chlorinated organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a colorless solid although older samples appear yellow. It has a characteristic odor and is readily soluble in water. It has the structure .
...
*
Ethyl chloroacetate
Ethyl chloroacetate is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is used primarily in the chemical industry. It is used as a solvent for organic synthesis and as an intermediate in the production of pesticides (such as sodium fluoroaceta ...
References
{{organic-compound-stub
Acetamides
Nitriles