Hydrochloric Acid → 5-Methoxy-1,3-dihydro-2-benzofuran-1,3-dione

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Reaction Steps

A solution of 4-methoxyphthalic acid dimethyl ester (3.1 g, Fluka, U.S.A.) in 10 mL methanol and 35 mL of a 1 M solution of aqueous sodium hydroxide was heated to reflux for 3 hours. The solution was allowed to cool to rt, acidified to pH 2 with 1 M hydrochloric acid, and extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The organic extractions were combined, dried over magnesium sulfate, and reduced in vacuo to cleanly yield 2.43 g of the corresponding diacid. The diacid (1.43 g) and 1.9 mL of acetic anhydride were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran and heated to reflux for 16 hours. The solvent was evaporated to give 5-methoxy-isobenzofuran-1,3-dione (1.25 g).

Provenance & Evidence