Methanol → Methyl 5-fluoro-2-methylbenzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

5-Fluoro-2-methyl-benzoic acid (0.29 g, 1.9 mmol) was dissolved in anhydrous MeOH (7 mL) and c. H2SO4 (0.12 mL, 2.3 mmol) was added, heating to reflux for 16 hours. The solution was cooled to room temperature and partitioned between EtOAc (15 mL) and brine (10 mL). After separating, the aqueous phase was extracted with EtOAc (2×10 mL), dried (MgSO4), filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure to afford 5-fluoro-2-methyl-benzoic acid methyl ester as a pale brown liquid (0.25 g, 78%).

Provenance & Evidence