Methyl Benzoate → Trimethyl orthoformate

Participants

Reaction Steps

1062 g of tetramethoxymethane, 303 g of methyl benzoate, 225 g of 60% methyltributylammonium methosulfate solution and 910 g of methanol were electrolyzed at 3 A. The voltage per gap was kept below 5 V, the temperature was 30° C., and the pumping rate was 190 l/h. After the electrolysis had ended, 10.0 GC area % of trimethoxymethane and 13.2 GC area % of benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal had formed in the electrolyte; tetramethoxyethane had been degraded from 42.5% to 25.6 GC area %, and methyl benzoate was down to 0.4 GC area %, having been converted to more than 95%. Low-boiling byproducts included methyl formate at 2.2 GC area % in the electrolyte.

Provenance & Evidence