Dichloromethane → Propanoic acid, 2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)-, ethyl ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 2.2 g of (+)-ethyl 2-(4-formylphenoxy)propionate ([α]D25 =+51.3° optical purity: 93%), 10 ml of methylene chloride and 2.6 g of m-chloroperbenzoic acid, was reacted for 2 hours under reflux, and after an addition of 0.5 g of water, further refluxed for 1 hour. After cooling, the reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 g of a 5% sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution, then with 10 g of a 5% sodium hydrogen sulfite aqueous solution and further with 10 g of water. Then, the reaction mixture was concentrated by distilling off methylene chloride and then subjected to distillation under reduced pressure, whereby 1.1 g of ethyl 2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionate was obtained as a colorless transparent liquid. The boiling point was from 130° to 140° C./1 mmHg. [α]D25 =+40.6°, optical punity: 90%

Provenance & Evidence