Methanol → Methyl 2-(2-nitrophenyl)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

To (2-nitrophenyl)acetic acid (25.0 g, 0.14 mol) were added methanol (100 ml) and concentrated sulfuric acid (3.0 ml). The resulting mixture was heated under reflux for 10 hours. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and then, distilled under reduced pressure to remove the solvent. The residue was dissolved in chloroform. The resulting solution was washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and distilled under reduced pressure to remove the solvent. The residue was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column, whereby from n-hexane-ethyl acetate (2:1, v/v) eluate fractions, methyl (2-nitrophenyl)acetate (26.6 g, 97%) was obtained as a yellow oil.

Provenance & Evidence