Phenetole → (2-Chloro-5-iodophenyl)(4-ethoxyphenyl)methanone

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A jacketed 2 L three-necked round bottom flask with mechanical stirrer, rubber septum with temperature probe and pressure-equalized addition funnel with gas bubbler was charged with aluminum chloride (97.68 g, 0.733 mol, 1.04 equiv), dichloromethane (0.65 L, KF=0.003 wt % water) and the suspension was set stirring under nitrogen and was cooled to about 6° C. Then ethoxybenzene (90 mL, 0.712 mol, 1.01 equiv) was added over 7 minutes keeping internal temperature below 9° C. The resulting orange solution was diluted with dichloromethane (75 mL) and was cooled to −7° C. Then a solution of 2-chloro-5-iodobenzoyl chloride (≦0.706 mol) in 350 mL dichloromethane was added over 13 minutes keeping the internal temperature below +3° C. The reaction mixture was warmed slightly and held at +5° C. for 2 hours. HPLC analysis suggested the reaction was complete and the reaction was quenched into 450 mL pre-cooled (˜5° C.) 2N aq. HCl with stirring in a jacketed round bottom flask. This quench was done in portions over 10 min with internal temperature remaining below 28° C. The quenched biphasic mixture was stirred at 20° C. for 45 min and the lower organic phase was washed with 1N aq. HCl (200 mL), twice with saturated aq. sodium bicarbonate (200 mL per wash), and with saturated aq. sodium chloride (200 mL). The washed extract was concentrated on a rotary evaporator to afford crude (2-chloro-5-iodophenyl)(4-ethoxyphenyl)methanone as an off-white solid (268.93 g, 99.0 area % by HPLC at 220 nm, 1.0 area % regioisomer at 200 nm, 98.5% “as-is” yield).

Provenance & Evidence