Formaldehyde → 2-Butyl acrylic acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a solution of n-butylmalonic acid (17.2 g, 107 mmol) in ethanol (200 ml) was added piperidine (12.76 ml, 129 mmol) and 37% aq. formaldehyde (40.3 ml, 538 mmol). The solution was heated to 80° C. during which time a precipitate appeared and then gradually redissolved over 1 hour. The reaction mixture was stirred at 80° C. overnight then cooled to room temperature. The solvents were removed under reduced pressure and the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate (200 ml), washed successively with 1 M hydrochloric acid and brine, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated to give the title compound as a clear oil (13.37 g, 97%). 1H-NMR; δ (CDCl3), 6.29 (1H, s), 5.65 (1H, s), 2.34-2.28 (2H, m), 1.54-1.26 (4H, m) and 0.94 (3H, t, J=7.1 Hz).

Provenance & Evidence