Potassium Iodide → Methyl 2-(4-chlorobenzylthio)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Anhydrous acetone (100 ml), potassium carbonate (21 g), p-chlorobenzylmercaptan (19.5 ml), methyl chloroacetate (13.2 ml) and potassium iodide (0.1 g) are mixed in the cold. The mixture thus obtained is stirred and heated under reflux for 7 hours. It is cooled, the precipitate (K2CO3) is filtered off, the acetone is evaporated from the filtrate and the residue is taken up with ether. The ether solution is washed with 4 N NaOH and then with water until the wash waters have a neutral pH. The ether solution is then dried over MgSO4, the ether is evaporated and 34.5 g (100% yield) of methyl p-chlorobenzylmercapto-acetate are collected in the form of a chromatographically pure oil.

Provenance & Evidence