Tert-butyl 3-hexadecanoyloxyoctadecanoate → 3-Hexadecanoyloxyoctadecanoic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

To tert-butyl 3-hexadecanoyloxyoctadecanoate (156 g) was added trifluoroacetic acid (200 ml) at 0° C. After the temperature of the mixture was reached to ambient temperature, the resulting solution was allowed to stand at the same temperature for 3 hours. Excess trifluoroacetic acid was distilled off under reduced pressure. The residue was taken up in benzene and the solvent was evaporated off. This operation was repeated twice to remove trifluoroacetic acid completely. The residue was recrystallized from petroleum ether in refrigerator to afford crystals of 3-hexadecanoyloxyoctadecanoic acid (125 g).

Provenance & Evidence