Hydrochloric Acid → 4,4,4-Trifluoro-2-methylbutanoic acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To sodium hexamethyldisilazane (0.945 M in tetrahydrofuran) (667 mL, 0.63 mol) in tetrahydrofuran (0.9 L) at -78° C., under nitrogen, was added a solution of ethyl 4,4,4-trifluorobutyrate (90.6 mL) in tetrahydrofuran (100 mL). After stirring for 1.5 hour, to the vigorously stirred mixture was added methyl iodide (112 mL) as fast as possible. The reaction was warmed with a 0° C. bath for 2 hours. Methanol (1 L) and 1N lithium hydroxide (1.2 L) were added and stirring continued for 48 hours. The mixture was acidified with 2N hydrochloric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phase was washed (brine), dried (MgSO4), and evaporated at 30° C. After combination with product from separate conversions of ethyl 4,4,4-trifluorobutyrate (97.79 g), distillation afforded 2-methyl-4,4,4-trifluorobutyric acid (173.24 g, 96%) as a brown solid-liquid contaminated with 4,4,4-trifluorobutyric acid and 2,2-dimethyl-4,4,4-trifluorobutyric acid; bp 48.0°-108° C. (9,900 Pa); GLC: tR =6.1 min.

Provenance & Evidence