Hydrochloric Acid → alpha-Tocopherol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a mixture consisting of 69.9 g (0.460 mol) of 2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone, 52.5 g (0.386 mol) of zinc chloride, 150 ml of isobutyl acetate and 7.5 g of concentrated hydrochloric acid, 138.3 g (0.459 mol) of isophytol (purity: 98.3%) was added dropwise under stirring at 30-40° C. over 3 hours. At the same temperature, the reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 2 hours. After the reaction mixture was washed with 30 ml of water, the solvent was distilled off. Toluene (300 ml) was added to the residue to dissolve the same. The resulting solution was washed successively with water, alkaline water and a saturated aqueous solution of NaCl, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated under reduced pressure, whereby 202.0 g of the title compound was obtained as a brown oil (yield 99.6%, GLC purity: 97.5).

Provenance & Evidence