Methanol → 2H-Pyran-4-carboxylic acid, tetrahydro-, methyl ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution consisting of 45 wt % of 3-(2'-hydroxyethyl)-dihydro-2(3H)furanone, 45 wt % of methanol, and 10 wt % of water, was evaporated at a rate of 25 g per hour and the vapors were passed over 90 g of aluminum oxide catalyst (diameter 1.5 ram) in a tubular reactor at a temperature of 250° C. The gaseous effluent was condensed in cold traps and analyzed by gas chromatography. The experiment was carried out for a period of 60 h and the total amount of starting material used was 1500 g. 57 mol % of methyl tetrahydropyran-4-carboxylate was formed, plus 32 mol % of 3-(2'-methoxyethyl)-dihydro-2(3H)furanone and 4 mol % of 5-oxaspiro-[2.4 ]heptan-2-one, the conversion of 3-(2'-hydroxyethyl)-dihydro-2(3H)furanone being better than 97%.

Provenance & Evidence