Hydrochloric Acid → 4-Hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-1-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid

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Reaction Steps

50 ml of 3N aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added to a solution of 4.5 g of methyl 4-hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-1-cyclohexanecarboxylate (Example 42) in 100 ml of methanol. The solution was reacted for 2 hours, while it was refluxed. After reaction, 2N hydrochloric acid was added to the reaction solution, acidifying the solution. The solution was extracted five times with 50 ml of ethyl acetate. The organic layer obtained was washed three times with an aqueous sodium chloride solution and dried over magnesium sulfate. Thereafter, the solvent was removed in vacuo. The oily substance obtained was subjected to column chromatography using 50 g of silica gel. From the fraction eluted with hexane and ethyl acetate=1:1, the solvent was removed in vacuo, yielding 2.5 g of 4-hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-1-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid as a pale yellow oily, which had the following physiochemical properties:

Provenance & Evidence