Dimethylformamide → Methyl 3,4-dimethylbenzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Thionyl chloride (80 ml; 2 equiv.) was added at room temperature to a solution of 3,4-dimethylbenzoic acid (35 g; 1 equiv.) and dimethylformamide (1 ml) in 227 ml of methanol. The resulting reaction mixture was stirred for 12 h at room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The resulting residue was taken up in dichloromethane and washed with 5% sodium carbonate solution. The organic phase was dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure. The methyl 3,4-dimethylbenzoate so obtained (38.2 g) was used in the next stage without further purification.

Provenance & Evidence