A suspension of
61 g. (0.26 mole) of α-phenyl-β-benzoylpropionitrile1 (Note
1) in
150 ml. of methanol and 1 level teaspoonful of
Raney nickel catalyst
2,3 (Note
2) are placed in a
400–500 ml. pressure bottle (Note
3) connected to a low-pressure reduction apparatus. The bottle is alternatively evacuated and filled with
hydrogen twice, and the reduction is conducted at 80–90° by shaking with
hydrogen at an initial pressure of 50 lb. After
2 moles of hydrogen is absorbed the reduction is discontinued, the solution is filtered to separate the catalyst, and the solvent is removed from the green filtrate by distillation under reduced pressure. The crude
2,4-diphenyl-2-pyrroline (Note
4) is rinsed into a
300-ml. Kjeldahl flask with a little
methanol, which is removed by distillation at reduced pressure (
water pump) while the flask is immersed in a bath at 100°.
Selenium (10 g.) is added, and the mixture is heated in a
metal bath at 245–265° for 5 hours while a slow stream of
nitrogen is passed over the surface of the liquid. This operation is conducted in a
well-ventilated hood. The molten mass is poured from the reaction flask into a
beaker (Note
5), and the product is extracted with
300 ml. of boiling toluene. The green
toluene solution is filtered through a cotton plug to remove a small amount of suspended
selenium, and the filtrate is cooled. The
2,4-diphenylpyrrole separates as light green crystals which melt at
174–176° and weigh
24–26 g. (
42–46%) (Note
6). A second crop of
2–3 g. (
4–5%), m.p.
160–170°, can be obtained by concentrating the filtrate and cooling.