3-[2-(Acetyloxy)ethyl]dihydro-2(3H)-furanone → 2H-Pyran-4-carboxylic acid, tetrahydro-, methyl ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution consisting of 37 wt % of 3-(2'-acetoxyethyl)-dihydro-2(3H)furanone, 19 wt % of 3-(2'-methoxyethyl)dihydro-2(3H)furanone, and 44 wt % of methanol, was passed over 140 g of aluminum oxide catalyst (1.5 mm extrudates) in a tubular reactor at a rate of 38 g per hour with the addition of 10 Lh of nitrogen, at a temperature of 250° C. The gaseous effluent was condensed in cold traps and analyzed by gas chromatography. 53 mol % of methyl tetrahydropyran-4-carboxylate was formed, plus 41 mol % of 3-(2'-methoxyethyl)-dihydro-2(3H)furanone and 3 mol % of 5-oxaspiro[2.4 ]heptan-2-one. The conversion of 3-(2'-acetoxyethyl)-dihydro-2(3H)furanone was better than 99%.

Provenance & Evidence