Sulfuric Acid → (S)-tert-Butyl 2-chloropropanoate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Prepared according to Wright et al. Tetrahedron Lett. 1997, 38, 7345. A 500 mL glass bomb was charged with magnesium sulfate (21.7 g, 181 mmol) and DCM (182 mL). To this suspension was added sulfuric acid (2.5 mL, 45 mmol), drop-wise with vigorous stirring. After 15 min of stirring, (S)-2-chloropropanoic acid (5.0 g, 45 mmol) was added followed by tert-butanol (21.6 ml, 226 mmol). The bomb was sealed and stirred at rt for 19 h, whereupon it was cooled to 0° C. and sodium bicarbonate (aq satd, 350 mL) was carefully added, at which point all solids had dissolved. The layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with DCM (2×). The combined organics layers were washed with brine, dried over Na2SO4 and concentrated in vacuo (20° C. bath, 50 mBar) to afford the title compound (7.64 g, 96%) as a light yellow oil (93% purity). 1H NMR data was an identical match to the previously prepared enantiomer.

Provenance & Evidence