Potassium Carbonate → Acetic acid, 2-(4-acetyl-2-methylphenoxy)-, methyl ester

Reaction equation

[CH3:1][C:2]1[CH:7]=[C:6]([C:8]([CH3:10])=[O:9])[CH:5]=[CH:4][C:3]=1[OH:11].Br[CH2:13][C:14]([O:16][CH3:17])=[O:15].C(=O)([O-])[O-].[K+].[K+]>CC(C)=O>[C:8]([C:6]1[CH:5]=[CH:4][C:3]([O:11][CH2:13][C:14]([O:16][CH3:17])=[O:15])=[C:2]([CH3:1])[CH:7]=1)(=[O:9])[CH3:10]

Participants

Procedure

A mixture of 4-hydroxy-3-methylacetophenone (5 g), methyl bromoacetate (3.70 ml) and anhydrous potassium carbonate (5.52 g) in acetone (100 ml) was stirred for 66 hours. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate evaporated to give an oil which crystallised on standing giving methyl 4-acetyl-2-methylphenoxyacetate, 7.2 g: m.p. 51°-53° C.; NMR (d6DMSO) δ 7.79 (1H, s), 7.77 (1H, d), 6.94(1H,d), 4.93 (2H, s), 3.71 (3H, s), 2.50 (3H, s+DMSO), 2.24 (3H, s).