Butyric Acid → 4-Methoxyphenol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

The procedure of Example 23 was repeated, except 1 mol of anisole was used in place of phenol. To the solution in the flask, 0.2g of a mixture of dimethyl phosphate and monomethyl phosphate (available on the market under the designation of "dimethyl phosphate" and containing about 50 percent of dimethyl phosphate, the remainder being monomethyl phosphate) was added and heated to 80°C. Then 0.1 of perpropionic acid (prepared in the form of 30 percent ethyl acetic acid solution) was introduced dropwise over a period of about 20 minutes. At the end of three hours following the start of said dropwise introduction of acid solution, the reaction solution was analyzed by repeating the procedure of Example 23. The analysis showed that 2.85g of pyrocatechol monomethyl ether and 1.44g of hydroquinone monomethyl ether were produced, with the conversion of perpropionic acid at 99.1 percent and that of anisole at 6.0 percent. When this reaction was performed in the absence of the catalyst, the yield of pyrocatechol monomethyl ether was 2.01g and that of hydroquinone monomethyl ether was 1.00g, although the conversion of each of the reactants was substantially the same.

Provenance & Evidence