2,5-Dimethylphenol → (E)-2-(2-((2,5-dimethyl phenoxy)methyl phenyl))-3-methoxy acrylic acid methyl ester

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Reaction Steps

(E)-methyl 2-(2-(bromomethyl)phenyl)-3-methoxyacrylate (20 g, 70.1 mmol) was reacted with 2,5-dimethylphenol (8.56 g, 1.0 eq) in 400 mL of acetonitrile (CH3CN) in the presence of potassium hydroxide (4.65 g, 1.1 eq) at room temperature for 4 hours, followed by removing the reaction solvent by concentration in a vacuum. The residue was stirred in water (200 mL) and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with 200 mL of dichloromethane. The organic layer thus obtained was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in a vacuum to remove the solvent. The residue was purified using silica gel chromatography to give (E)-methyl 2-(2-((2,5-dimethylphenoxy)methyl)phenyl)-3-methoxyacrylate as a white solid (18.5 g, yield 81%).

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