2-Chloroethanol → 2-(3-nitrophenoxy)ethanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of m-nitrophenol (28 g, 0.2 mole), 2-chloroethanol (53.6 ml, 0.8 mole), and potassium carbonate (110.4 g, 0.8 mole) in 300 ml methyl ethyl ketone was kept at reflux temperature with stirring overnight. The solid was filtered and dissolved in water. The filtrate was concentrated and some wolid was crystallized from 2-propanol/isopropyl ether. This light-brown solid was collected and weighed 22.78 g (62%). The mother liquor was concentrated and redissolved in toluene/ethyl acetate and extracted with the above aqueous solution. The aqueous layer was further extracted with fresh toluene/ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated to give a second crop of 6.46 g (17.6%). The second crop was dissolved in methanol, stirred with charcoal, filtered, evaporated, and crystallized from 2-propanol/isopropyl ether to give a pure sample. The sample was dried under vacuum at room temperature overnight, mp 85°-86° C.

Provenance & Evidence