4-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol → 2-(4-Phenoxymethylphenoxy)-propionic acid

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Reaction Steps

2.3 g. of sodium is dissolved in 250 ml. of absolute ethanol; 9.4 g. of phenol and 28.6 g. of the ethyl ester of 2-(p-bromoethylphenoxy)-propionic acid [obtainable by reacting p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol with ethyl 2-bromopropionate to the ethyl ester of 2-(p-hydroxymethylphenoxy)-propionic acid and subsequent reaction with SOBr2 ] are added thereto, and the mixture is refluxed for 3 hours and evaporated. The usual working-up procedure yields the ethyl ester of 2-(4-phenoxymethylphenoxy)-propionic acid. Analogously, the ethyl ester of 2-(4-phenoxymethylphenoxy)-2-methylpropionic acid is obtained from the ethyl ester of 2-p-bromomethylphenoxyisobutyric acid (obtainable by bromination of the ethyl ester of 2-p-methylphenoxyisobutyric acid with N-bromosuccinimide);

Provenance & Evidence