Resorcinol → 1-(2,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methylpropan-1-one

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Reaction Steps

Combine resorcinol (1010 g, 9.17 mol) in boron trifluoride etherate (1.9 L, 15.0 mol) and mechanically stir in a 12-L Morton flask at room temperature. Treat mixture with isobutyryl chloride (880 mL, 8.37 mol), neat, over a 3 hour period via addition funnel, then stir overnight at room temperature. Pour the cooled oil into ˜10 kg of cracked ice and extract twice with ethyl ether (5 L total). Wash organic layers with water, saturated sodium chloride solution, dry with magnesium sulfate, filter, and evaporate filtrate to provide the title compound (1636 g, quantitative yield) as a reddish oil. HPLC Rt=4.29 min; 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ 13.03 (s, 1H), 7.69 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 1H), 6.4 (m, 2H), 3.51 (hept, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 1.23 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 6H).

Provenance & Evidence