Ethanol → Ethyl (chloroformyl)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

139 ml of a 21% strength solution of sodium ethoxide in ethanol (371 mmol, 0.91 equivalent) were initially charged in 200 ml of diethyl ether, and a solution of 43.7 ml of ethyl chloroacetate (408 mmol, 1 equivalent) and 32.9 ml of ethyl formate (408 mmol, 1 equivalent) in 150 ml of diethyl ether was added dropwise at RT. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight and the solid was filtered off and washed with diethyl ether. The solid was dissolved in water and the aqueous phase was, with ice bath cooling, adjusted to pH4 using concentrated hydrochloric acid. The mixture was extracted repeatedly with diethyl ether and the combined organic phases were washed with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution, dried with magnesium sulphate, filtered and concentrated. The crude product obtained (8.2 g) was freed from residual solvent under high vacuum and used without further purification for the next reaction.

Provenance & Evidence