Hydrochloric Acid → Ethyl 4-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2,4-dioxobutanoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 4-(methylthio)acetophenone 1 g) and sodium hydride (60%; 288 mg) in N,N-dimethylformamide (7 ml) was stirred at ambient temperature for 30 minutes. The mixture was cooled to 0° C., and diethyl oxalate (0.98 ml) was added dropwise to the mixture. The resulting mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 3 hours, poured into ice-water and acidified with dilute hydrochloric acid. The precipitates were filtered, washed with water, and dried under reduced pressure to give a pale brown powder of ethyl 4-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2,4-dioxobutanoate (1.6 g).

Provenance & Evidence