3-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol → 2-(3-Hydroxymethylphenoxy)phenylacetic acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

3-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol (31.0 g) was ground finely and stirred with potassium carbonate (34.6 g), 2-bromophenylacetic acid (26.9 g) and cuprous chloride (large spatula full) under nitrogen. The mixture was warmed to 140° C., and stirred vigorously for 31/2 hours. DMF (60 ml) was then added to the stirred melt and the solution was allowed to cool, poured into water and acidified with dilute hydrochloric acid. The aqueous layer was extracted with ether, and the ether extracts were washed with water, dried and evaporated to give 2-(3-hydroxymethylphenoxy)phenylacetic acid as a brown oil (42.03 g) which was used without further purification.

Provenance & Evidence