Phenol → Oxalic acid, diphenyl ester

Participants

Reaction Steps

N,N'-diacetyloxamide (10 g, 0.058 mol), phenol (27.91 g, 0.297 mol) and sodium methoxide (0.2 g, 3.7 mmol) are charged into a three-necked flask equipped with a reflux condenser, a thermometer, an inlet tube for nitrogen, and a magnetic stirrer. The temperature is brought to 130° C., and after two hours the complete disappearance of the N,N'-diacetyloxamide is observed. The reaction mixture is then cooled and ethyl ether (30 ml) is added thereto. The compound of the title is separated from the reaction mixture by crystallization, recovered by filtration and recrystallized from absolute ethyl alcohol, yielding 4.5 g (18.6 mmol) of oxalic acid diphenyl ester with m.p. 132°-5° C.

Provenance & Evidence