2-Cyanoacetamide is an
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...
. It is an
acetic
Acetic acid , systematically named ethanoic acid , is an acidic, colourless liquid and organic compound with the chemical formula (also written as , , or ). Vinegar is at least 4% acetic acid by volume, making acetic acid the main component ...
amide
In organic chemistry, an amide, also known as an organic amide or a carboxamide, is a compound with the general formula , where R, R', and R″ represent organic groups or hydrogen atoms. The amide group is called a peptide bond when it is ...
with a
nitrile
In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The prefix '' cyano-'' is used interchangeably with the term ''nitrile'' in industrial literature. Nitriles are found in many useful compounds, including me ...
functional group
In organic chemistry, a functional group is a substituent or moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions regardless of the res ...
.
Uses
Cyanoacetamide is used in
spectrofluorimetric methods to determine the activity of
antihistamine H1 receptor antagonistic 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 ClCH2CO2H. This carboxylic acid is a useful building block in organic synthesis. It is a colorless solid. Related compounds a ...
via
Kolbe nitrile synthesis
The Kolbe nitrile synthesis is a method for the preparation of alkyl nitriles by reaction of the corresponding alkyl halide with a metal cyanide. A side product for this reaction is the formation of an isonitrile because the cyanide ion is an am ...
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 oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ...
aminolysis
In chemistry, aminolysis (/am·i·nol·y·sis/) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule is lysed (split into two parts) by reacting with ammonia () or an amine (any molecule containing a nitrogen atom with a lone pair, :N). The case where t ...
.
See also
*
Chloroacetamide
Chloroacetamide (2-chloroacetamide) is a chlorinated organic compound with the molecular formula ClCH2CONH2. Chloroacetamide is a colorless solid although older samples appear yellow. It has a characteristic odor and is readily soluble in water.
...
*
Ethyl chloroacetate
References
Acetamides
Nitriles
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