Water → methyl 2-(4-formyl-2-methoxyphenoxy)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

(4-Formyl-2-methoxy-phenoxy)-acetic acid methyl ester was prepared by dissolving vanillin (4.1 mmol) (Aldrich) in dry THF (10 mL) and dry DMF (1 mL). Sodium hydride (109 mg, 4.5 mmol) was then added to the solution slowly and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 h at which time methyl bromoacetate (5 mmol) (Aldrich) was added dropwise. The reaction was stirred at room temperature for 14 h at which time water (10 mL) was added and the THF was evaporated in vacuo. The aqueous layer was then extracted with ethyl acetate (3×15 mL), and the combined organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated. The resulting (4-formyl-2-methoxy-phenoxy)-acetic acid methyl ester was purified via flash column chromatography (SiO2, 230-400 mesh) with ethyl acetate/hexane.

Provenance & Evidence