Previous work in this Laboratory3 has shown that nitriles interact with certain alkenes and alcohols in the presence of sulfuric acid to form substituted amides. In order to extend the scope of this reaction, the reaction of benzonitrile with a number of unsaturated acids and esters, and hydroxy esters, has now been investigated. This paper describes the preparation of N-benzoylamino acids by this novel procedure. Table I lists the reactants used and the ...
