Methanol → Methyl 2-(2-methylphenyl)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

30.0 g (0.2 mol) of o-tolyl acetic acid was dissolved in 100 ml of methanol, 5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid was added thereto and the resulting solution was stirred with heating for 6 to 12 hours. The resulting solution was cooled and the solvent was removed under a reduced pressure to obtain a residue. The residue was washed twice with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent was removed under a reduced pressure. The residue thus obtained was subjected to column chromatography using a mixture of n-hexane and ethyl acetate (4:1) as an eluent to obtain 32.15 g (yield 98%) of the title compound as a colorless liquid.

Provenance & Evidence