Sulfuric Acid → 4-tert-Butoxybenzoic Acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

Ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (16.6 g), isobutene (25 g), and 95% sulfuric acid (0.5 ml) were stirred in dichloromethane (300 ml) overnight at 0° C. The reaction mixture was washed with 20% sodium carbonate aqueous solution, dried over sodium sulfate anhydride, and then concentrated under a vacuum. The residue was dissolved in ethanol (32 ml) and the solution, with potassium hydroxide (7.5 g) and water (6 ml) added thereto, was refluxed with stirring for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was neutralized with hydrochloric acid and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried over sodium sulfate anhydride, and then concentrated under a vacuum. The resulting solid was recrystallized from ethyl acetate to yield 9.3 g of the aimed compound.

Provenance & Evidence