Hydrochloric Acid → 4-Phenethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

76A (2.27 g, 8 mmol), N-methylpyrrolidinone (4.4 mL), Fe(acac)3 (140 mg, 0.4 mmol) and dry THF (50 mL) were stirred under nitrogen at room temperature. Phenethylmagnesium bromide (1.0 M in THF, 10 mL) was added by syringe. After stirring for fifteen minutes, HCl (1 M, 20 mL) was slowly added. The mixture was diluted with water and extracted three times with EtOAc. The organic layers were combined, washed with water and then brine, were dried over MgSO4 and were concentrated. Purification was achieved using flash chromatography on SiO2 with hexanes/toluene 50:50. A colourless oil was obtained (1.575 g, 82%). NMR 1H (ppm, CDCl3): 7.94 (d, J3 8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.29-7.13 (m, 7H), 3.89 (s, 3H), 3.01-2.89 (m, 4H).

Provenance & Evidence