Methyl 2-(4-formylphenoxy)acetate → Methyl [4-[2-(4,5-diphenyl-2-oxazolyl)ethenyl]phenoxy]acetate

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Reaction Steps

Sodium metal (570 mg, 25 mg atom) was dissolved in methanol (50 mL) and dimethyl [(4,5-diphenyl-2-oxazolyl)methyl]phosphonate (7.80 g, 22 mmol) added. The mixture was stirred for 10 minutes before adding methyl (4-formylphenoxy)acetate (4.00 g, 20 mmol). After stirring at room temperature for 1 hour, the mixture was diluted with water and a yellow solid filtered off and air dried to give crude product (3.80 g, 44%). This was combined with 3.50 g from a previous experiment and recrystallized twice from methanol to afford analytically pure methyl [4-[2-(4,5-diphenyl-2-oxazolyl)ethenyl]phenoxy]acetate, m.p. 122°-123° C.

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