Benzyl Alcohol → 1-(Phenylmethyl) butanedioate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 5.0 g (0.05 mol) of succinic acid anhydride, 5.4 g (0.05 mol) of benzyl alcohol, 16.25 g (0.05 mol) of cesium carbonate, and 50 ml of N,N-dimethylforamide was stirred at 100° C. for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and then poured into 200 ml of ethyl acetate. The mixture was washed with saturated aqueous NaCl containing 0.35 N HCl (3×100 mL). The ethyl acetate phase, which contains the product, was collected and dried over anhydrous MgSO4. The MgSO4 was removed via filtration, and the ethyl acetate was removed under reduced pressure. The crude product was purified by crystallization in diethyl ether and hexane to provide 7.34 g of succinic acid monobenzyl ester, 70.47%.

Provenance & Evidence