Hydroxyphenylacetic acid → Benzeneacetic acid, 4-hydroxy-, methyl ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (10 g) in methylene chloride (66 mL) and methanol (26 mL) was added p-toluenesulfonic acid (1.25 g), and the resulting solution was heated at reflux overnight. The solvent was evaporated, the residue dissolved in ethyl acetate, and the the solution washed (H2O), dried (MgSO4), and evaporated to give crude methyl 4-hydroxyphenylacetate (10.4 TLC: Rf =0.72, ethyl acetate:dichloromethane (10:90); MS: m/z=167(M+1).

Provenance & Evidence