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 1M 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