Carbon tetrabromide → Methyl 4-(bromomethyl)benzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 10 g of methyl 4-hydroxymethylbenzoate and 80 g of carbon tetrabromide in 300 ml of diethyl ether was added 63.2 g of triphenylphosphine. The reaction was warmed to room temperature overnight, filtered through Celite® and concentrated to 87.2 g of a yellow oil. Chromatography on silica gel (95:5, hexane:ethyl acetate) afforded 19.62 g of a white solid, m.p. 52° to 55° C.

Provenance & Evidence