Methyl iodide → Methyl 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)pent-4-enoate

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Reaction Steps

A mixture of crude 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)pent-4-enoic acid (1 eq., 8.72 g), K2CO3 (3 eq., 22.9 g) and acetone (109 ml) was stirred at room temperature for 30 min. MeI (6 eq., 46.4 g) was added at 0° C. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 days and concentrated. Water and EtOAc were added. The aqueous layer was extracted with 3×EtOAc. The organic layers were dried over MgSO4. Silica gel chromatography using 4-40% ACN (containing 5% MeOH)-DCM yields the title compound as colorless oil (2.2 g, 23% for two steps).

Provenance & Evidence