Table 1.

Conversion of malononitrile 6 to sodium enolate 8.

Entry	Scale	Time 1	Times 2, 3	Acetone Slurry	Yield
1	5 g	30 min	15 min, 15 min	2 × 100 mL	9.5 g, 97%
2	10 g	1 h	30 min, 30 min	2 × 200 mL	17.3 g, 88%
3	10 g	1 h	30 min, 30 min	3 × 100 mL	13.8 g, 70%
4	10 g	1 h	30 min, 30 min	3 × 200 mL	18.7 g, 95%
5	10 g	1 h	30 min, 30 min	4 × 200 mL	19.2 g, 98%