A solution of 4-[2-(4,4-dimethyl-chroman-7-yl)-heptyloxy]-benzoic acid methyl ester (0.474 g, 1.15 mmole) in 8 mL of ethanol was treated with a solution of potassium hydroxide (1.3 g) in 5 mL of water. THF (4 mL) was added and the mixture was heated at 45° C. for two hours, diluted with 20 mL of water and the pH was adjusted to 2 with concentrated HCl. The mixture was then extracted with three 20 mL portions of ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were dried over MgSO4, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to give a pale yellow foam. The product was purified by recrystallization from acetonitrile/water to yield 0.362 g of 4-[2-(4,4-dimethyl-chroman-7-yl)-heptyloxy]-benzoic acid (1) as a white solid. M.p.: 91.5-93.3° C.
