Synthesis 2019; 51(10): 2122-2127
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1611719
paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Isocyanide Purification: C-2 Silica Cleans Up a Dirty Little Secret

Allen Chao
a   Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 32 South, 32nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA   Email: fleming@drexel.edu
,
Embarek Alwedi
b   Merck, 90 E. Scott Ave., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA
,
a   Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 32 South, 32nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA   Email: fleming@drexel.edu
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 01 November 2018

Accepted after revision: 21 December 2018

Publication Date:
18 February 2019 (online)


Abstract

EtSiCl3-treated silica gel, ‘C-2 silica,’ proved exceptionally effective for purifying isocyanides that are otherwise irreversibly adsorbed during silica gel chromatography. Purification of a prototypical isocyanide on several chromatographic matrices provided valuable insight into the requirements for purifying silica-sensitive isocyanides. EtSiCl3-modified silica proved optimal as the solid phase, providing up to 90% recovery of pure isocyanides that otherwise fail to elute during silica gel purification.

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