Methanol → Methyl 2-methyl-4-nitrobenzoate

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Reaction Steps

2-Methyl-4-nitrobenzoic acid (2.00 g, 11.00 mmol) was stirred in concentrated sulfuric acid (0.6 ml) and methanol (25 ml) at reflux for 15 hrs. Reaction was cooled and the solvent evaporated. The resulting residue was partitioned between water and dichloromethane and the organic phase separated. The aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane (×3) and the combined organics washed with brine, then dried (MgSO4) and evaporated in vacuo to yield the title compound as a pale yellow solid (1.89 g, 96%). HPLC retention time 4.39 min.

Provenance & Evidence