Potassium Hydroxide → 4-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxybenzoic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of methyl 4-bromomethyl-2-methoxybenzoate (25.0 g, 96.5 mmol), potassium hydroxide (10.83 g, 193 mmol) and water (400 mL) was refluxed with stirring for 2 hr. The reaction mixture was cooled, further basified to pH 14, and extracted three times with ethyl ether. The reaction solution was then acidified to pH 1 and extracted several times with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate layers were combined, dried (Na2SO4) and evaporated to yield 16.3 g (93%) of the title compound as an off white solid, m. pt 106-111°, whose purity was suitable for use without further purification. Additional purification is effected by recrystallization from ethyl acetate and hexane, m. pt, 112-115°.

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