Hydrochloric Acid → Methyl 2-chloro-4-methylbenzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Add 4N hydrogen chloride in 1,4-dioxane (20 mL, 80 mmol) to 2-chloro-4-methylbenzoic acid (5.0 g, 29.3 mmol) in methanol (60 mL). Stir the reaction mixture at room temperature over the weekend. Concentrate the reaction mixture and partition the residue between ethyl acetate and saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution. Separate the organic layer and extract the aqueous with ethyl acetate (2×). Combine the organic layers, wash with brine, dry over sodium sulfate, and concentrate to provide the title compound as a brownish oil (4.7 g, 25.5 mmol).

Provenance & Evidence