Water → (2-Hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

The process of the invention is conveniently carried out by suspending an alkali metal hydroxide in an organic solvent and adding (2-chlorophenyl)acetic acid and a catalyst to this suspension. The reaction mixture is heated to a temperature above 130° C. The reaction can be followed by a chromatographic technique for (example gas/liquid chromatography or high pressure liquid chromatography (using reverse phase medium)) to follow its progress. When the reaction is complete the mixture is cooled and water is added to it. After washing the aqueous phase with a suitable solvent (for example, hexane) it is acidified and extracted with a suitable solvent (for example, ethyl acetate). The extracts are combined, dried and evaporated to leave crude (2-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid which may be purified.

Provenance & Evidence