Sodium Carbonate → 4-Hydroxymethyl-3-nitrobenzoic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

4-Bromomethyl-3-nitrobenzoic acid (3.00 g, 11.5 mmol) and sodium carbonate (6.12 g, 57.7 mmol) were dissolved in water (40 mL) and acetone (40 mL). The reaction mixture was refluxed for 4 hours and then concentrated under reduced pressure to remove acetone. The residue was washed with diethyl ether three times. The aqueous layer was acidified with 6M hydrochloric acid, and then extracted with ethyl acetate three times. The combined organic layer was washed with water and brine, dried with sodium sulfate, filtered, concentrated under the reduced pressure. The residue was dried by means of a vacuum pump to give the desired product as brown solid (2.17 g, yield 95%).

Provenance & Evidence