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Cyanoacetic acid

( Nitriles )

Preparation and reaction..
Applications
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Cyanoacetic acid is an organic compound. It is a white, hygroscopic solid. The compound contains two functional groups, a nitrile (−C≡N) and a carboxylic acid. It is a precursor to cyanoacrylates, components of adhesives.Harald Strittmatter, Stefan Hildbrand and Peter Pollak Malonic Acid and Derivatives" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2007, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.

Preparation and reactions

Cyanoacetic acid is prepared by treatment of chloroacetate salts with sodium cyanide followed by acidification. Electrosynthesis by cathodic reduction of carbon dioxide and anodic oxidation of acetonitrile also affords cyanoacetic acid.

Cyanoacetic acid is used to do cyanoacetylation, first convenient method described by J. Slätt.

It is about 1000× more acidic than acetic acid, with a pK_a of 2.5.

Upon heating at 160 °C, it undergoes decarboxylation to give acetonitrile:

Applications

In its largest scale application, cyanoacetic acid is first esterification to give ethyl cyanoacetate. Condensation of that ester with formaldehyde gives ethyl cyanoacrylate, which used as superglue. As of 2007, more than 10,000 tons of cyanoacetic acid were produced annually.

Cyanoacetic acid is a versatile intermediate in the preparation of other chemicals. it is a precursor to synthetic caffeine via the intermediacy of theophylline. It is a building block for many drugs, including dextromethorphan, amiloride, sulfadimethoxine, and allopurinol.