flask with an efficient stirrer was placed 2 50 g of n 2 cyanoethyl n phosphonomethylglycine this material was heated at 175 u00b0 c for 30 minutes the flask was then cooled and the solid material was dissolved in sodium hydroxide solution this was then chromatographed on dowex 50x8 400 ion exchange resin using water as the eluent the minor component contained 0 40 g 16 of a solid which was identified as starting material while the major fraction contained 1 08 g 64 of a white solid which was identified as glyphosate in a flask equipped with an efficient stirrer was added 2 50 g 0 010 mol of n 2 cyanoethyl n phosphonomethylglycine and 20 ml of decane the mixture was stirred at 175 u00b0 c for 2 hours the solvent was then removed under reduced pressure the residue was then analyzed by nmr spectroscopy and found to contain glyphosate in a three neck round bottom flask equipped with a reflux condenser a thermometer and a stir bar was added 3 6 g 0 0150 mol of n 2 carboxyethyl n phosphonomethylglycine and 100 ml of water the reaction mixture was heated at 100 u00b0 c for 90 hours the solvent was then removed under reduced pressure and the residue was dissolved in 15 ml of water and chromatographed on dowex 50x8 400 ion exchange resin using water as the eluent the minor fraction contained 0 61 g 17 of a solid which was identified as the starting material the major fraction contained 1 69 g 67 of a solid which was identified as glyphosate in a round bottom flask equipped with a stir bar was added 2 50 g 0 010 mol of n 2 cyanoethyl n phosphonomethylglycine 1 50 g 0 010 mol of.