1H-Indole-3-propanoic acid → Methyl 3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

36.2 g of powdered potassium carbonate was added, with ice-cooling, to a solution of 24.8 g of 3-(indol-3-yl)propionic acid in 500 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide, followed by the addition of a solution of 10.2 ml methyl iodide in 50 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide. The reaction mixture was then warmed to room temperature and stirred for 3 hours. After this time, ice water was added to the reaction mixture, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic extract was then washed with water, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated by evaporation under reduced pressure. The resulting residue was subjected to column chromatography using 500 g of silica gel with a 4:1 v/v mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate as the eluent, to yield 25.8 g of the title compound as an amorphous solid.

Provenance & Evidence