Benzoic Acid → (2,5-Dimethylphenyl)(phenyl)methanone

Participants

Reaction Steps

Benzoic acid (20 g, 0.16 mole), p-xylene (100 mL), and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (5 mL) were heated at reflux in a 300 mL flask equipped with a Dean-Stark trap. After 16 hours, the mixture was extracted with 100 mL of 6% aqueous sodium hydroxide, washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and evaporated to give 15.4 g (0.073 mole) of 2,5-dimethylbenzophenone. The aqueous sodium hydroxide extract was acidified to give 8.1 g (0.066 mole) of unreacted benzoic acid.

Provenance & Evidence