Process for the preparation of aromatic-substituted aliphatic carboxylic acids

A process for the preparation of aromatic substituted carboxylic acids is disclosed. The process comprises i) forming an aromatic-substituted acrylonitrile by dehydrating a cyanohydrin of the formula ed or substituted with C1 to C6 linear or branched alkyl, C1 to C6 linear or branched alkoxy, halo, amino, amino mono- or disubstituted with C1 to C6 linear or branched alkyl or carboxylic acid or the alkyl esters thereof; and R is hydrogen or C1 to C6 linear or branched alkyl; ii) catalytically reducing the aromatic-substituted acrylonitrile when not more than 10% of the cyanohydrin is converted to said acrylonitrile to form a first reaction solution comprising an aromatic substituted aliphatic nitrile; iii) hydrolyzing the aromatic-substituted aliphatic nitrile. This process is useful in the preparation of compounds that are intermediates for physiologically active aromatic substituted acetic acids similar to the profen-type compounds.