Octanoic Acid → Sodium octanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Sodium caprylate (2 mol) was prepared by neutralization of caprylic acid (2 mol; 288.4 g; 317.4 ml) in 750 ml xylene with sodium hydroxide (2 mol; 80 g) in water (160 ml). The reaction mixture was freed of water and then heated with chloroethanol (2.1 mol; 170 g; 204.4 ml) with addition of 2-ethoxyethanol (1000 ml) as a solvent under reflux for 28 hours. The precipitated NaCl was filtered off and washed with 2-ethoxyethanol. The filtrate was distilled and 66% of 2-hydroxyethyl caprylate was obtained; b.p. 141° C./266 Pa. Elemental analysis for C10H20O3 theory: 63.79% C, 10.71% H; found: 63.54% C, 10.93% H. The structure was confirmed by infrared and 13C--NMR spectroscopy. Further procedure was carried out according to example 1.

Provenance & Evidence