1-Butanol → Dibutyl squarate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 1-butanol (3 L), toluene (2 L) and 1,2-dihydroxy-1-cyclobutene-3,4-dione (1 kg; 8.767 moles) was refluxed with stirring under a Dean-Stark separator until water stopped passing over (theory:0.316 L). The excess toluene and butanol were then removed by distillation under reduced pressure to give the title compound as a yellow liquid. The concentrate was diluted with methanol (1.5L) and used in the next step.

Provenance & Evidence