Ethanol → Ethyl 2-(4-nitrophenyl)butanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

In 250 ml of ethanol was dissolved 16.71 g (0.08 mole) of 2-(4-nitrophenyl)-n-butyric acid and 15 ml of conc. sulfuric acid was then added and heated under reflux for 3.5 hours on an oil bath. After the ethanol was distilled off in vacuo, the residue was neutralized with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and extracted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate layer was washed with saturated sodium chloride solution and dried over sodium sulfate. After the ethyl acetate was distilled off in vacuo, the residue was subjected to silica gel chromatography eluting with a mixture of benzene and n-hexane (1:1) to give 9.13 g (0.0385 mole, 48% yield) of ethyl 2-(4-nitrophenyl)-n-butyrate.

Provenance & Evidence