4-Chlorophenol → 2-(2-(4-Chlorophenoxy)phenyl)acetic acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a solution of o-chlorophenylacetic acid (330 g) in o-xylene (4000 mL) is added 4-chlorophenol (306 g), K2CO3 (354 g), and copper powder (18 g) at 25-30° C. The mixture is heated at reflux for 2-3 hours and water is removed by azeotropic distillation. The reaction mixture is maintained for 1-2 hours at 25-30° C. and water (4000 mL) is added. Organic and aqueous layers are separated and the organic layer is washed with water (4000 mL). The pH of combined aqueous layers is adjusted to 1-1.5 by addition of aqueous HCl (100 mL) at 0-5° C. The formed solid is collected by filtration, washed with water (3000 mL) and hexane (500 mL), and then is dried to afford the title compound. Yield: 465 g. Purity by HPLC: 97.81%.

Provenance & Evidence