Water → Ethyl (p-tolyloxy)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A stirred mixture of p-cresol (14.6 g, 0.135 mole) and anhydrous potassium carbonate (37.2 g, 0.27 mole) in dry acetone (200 ml) was heated under reflux for 30 minutes. The mixture was then cooled to room temperature and ethyl bromoacetate (16.6 ml, 0.15 mole) added. The mixture was heated upto reflux again and maintained at this temperature for 41/2 hours, then allowed to cool before pouring into water (1000 ml). The aqueous mixture was extracted with ether (2×250 ml) and the organic solution washed with dilute hydrochloric acid (1×200 ml) and water (1×200 ml), then dried (MgSO4) and evaporated to dryness to give a quantitative yield of the title compound as a yellow oil.

Provenance & Evidence