Dimethyl Sulfate → 4-Chloro-2-(methoxymethyl)-1-nitrobenzene

Participants

Reaction Steps

Sodium hydroxide (1.88 g, 44.0 mmol) in water (15 mL) was added to a solution of (5-chloro-2-nitro-phenyl)-methanol (1.1 g, 5.88 mmol) in dichloromethane (15 mL) and stirred for 10 min. Dimethyl sulfate (1.12 mL, 11.8 mmol) and tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate (100 mg) were added and the mixture stirred vigorously for 8 h at room temperature. The reaction mixture was diluted with dichloromethane and the organic phase was separated, washed with water, brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated under vacuum to give the crude compound. Purification by column chromatography over silica gel (100-200 mesh) using 2% ethyl acetate in petroleum ether as eluent afforded 4-chloro-2-methoxymethyl-1-nitro-benzene (850 mg, 72%) as a pale yellow liquid.

Provenance & Evidence