Ethanol → Ethyl alpha-oxobenzenebutanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

2-Oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid (130 g) is added to a mixture of 650 ml of ethanol and 13 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid, and the whole mixture is refluxed for 5 hours. The reaction mixture is concentrated to approximately half the original volume, and then diluted with 500 ml of water. The resulting oil is collected and, the aqueous layer is extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract and the oil are combined and dried, and the solvent is distilled off under reduced pressure. The residue is distilled under reduced pressure to give 113 g of ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate as a colorless oil boiling at 135°-141° C./3 mmHg.

Provenance & Evidence