Water → Methyl 4-(4-formyl-2-methoxyphenoxy)butanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution of vanillin (47)(40.00 g, 262.89 mmol) and methyl-4-bromobutyrate (50.00 g, 276.18 mmol) in DMF (200 mL) was allowed to stir over potassium carbonate (51.53 g, 372.40 mmol) for 16 hours. Water was added to the reaction mixture at which time the product crystallised. The resulting mixture was filtered and dried in vacuo for 16 hours to afford the keto-ester (48) as a white solid (41.3 g, 66%). MP=57-59° C. 1H NMR (250 MHz, CDCl3) δ 9.80 (s, 1H), 7.46-7.40 (m, 2H), 6.97 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 4.16 (t, J=6.3 Hz, 2H), 3.92 (s, 3H), 3.70 (s, 3H), 2.57 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.20 (pent, J=6.7 Hz, 2H). 13C NMR (67.8 MHz, CDCl3) 188.2 (Cl), 173.7 (C12), 153.8 (Cquat.), 152.0 (Cquat.), 144.1 (Cquat.), 125.8 (Cmethine), 110.3 (C3), 108.5 (C6), 69.0 (C9), 57.0 (C8), 52.2 (C13), 30.6 (C11), 24.5 (C10). It was decided to adopt the numbering system shown in the figure below for the molecule for ease of peak assignment in 13C NMR.

Provenance & Evidence