N-bromobutanimide → Methyl 3-bromo-2-(bromomethyl)benzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of methyl 3-bromo-2-methylbenzoate (17.0 g, 74.22 mmol) and N-bromosuccinimide (15.85 g, 89.06 mmol) in acetonitrile (200 mL) was heated under gently refluxing for 17 hours while a 200 W bulb situated 2 cm away was shining on the reaction flask. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and solvent was removed. The residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate (200 mL) and washed with water (3×80 mL), brine (80 mL) and dried (MgSO4). Solvent was removed to give methyl 3-bromo-2-bromomethylbenzoate (24.5 g, 97% by HPLC): 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ 7.90–7.86 (dd, J=1.0 and 7.9 Hz, 1H), 7.78–7.74 (dd, J=1.2 and 8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.22 (t, J=7.9 Hz, 1H), 5.12 (s, 2H), 3.95 (s, 3H).

Provenance & Evidence