Department of Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160 014 Manuscript received 28 August 1987, accepted 30 October 1987 The nitrite, 3-(4'-methylcyclohex-3'-en-1-yl)but-2-enylcyanide (3) was procured by the reaction of cuprous cyanide In DMSO on 3-(4'-methylcyclohex-3'-en-1-yl)but-2- enyl bromide (2). On alcoholysis, the above cyanide furnished methyl 4-(4'-methyl­cyclohex-3'-en-1-yl)pent-3-enoate (4) which was smoothly reduced to the corresponding carbinol (5). The key intermediate,

more »

... lcyclohes-3'-en-1-yl)pent-3-en 1-al (6) was prepared by the oxidation of the carbinol (5) with CrO3/Py which upon Wittig reaction with isopropylldene triphenyiphosphorane gave cis-α-bisabolene.