Dimethylformamide → Methyl 2-methyl-3-nitrobenzoate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

With reference to FIG. 4, DMF (130 mL) was added to a well mixed 2-methyl-3-nitrobenzoic acid 2 (50 g, 0.28 mol) and KHCO3 (84 g, 0.84 mol) solution. Since the mixture became highly viscous, it was heated to 40° C. with manual shaking. Iodomethane (79 g, 0.56 mol) was added via syringe after the gas evolution had ceased. The resulting orange colored solution was stirred for 12 hours at room temperature. The reaction mixture was poured into water (800 mL), and the resulting precipitate collected by filtration and dried over P2O5 to give pure methyl 2-methyl-3-nitrobenzoate 3 (56 g, 100%) as a white solid: mp. 64.2-65.5° C.; 1H-NMR (CDCl3) δ 8.00 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.85 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.39 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 3.95 (s, 3H), 2.63 (s, 3H); IR (KBr, cm−1) 1724, 1548, 1279; MS (EI): 195 (M+).

Provenance & Evidence