Methanol → Methyl 3-Hydroxyphenylacetate

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Reaction Steps

(3-Hydroxy-phenyl)-acetic acid (5.0 g, 32.86 mmol) is stirred in methanol (100 mL) and concentrated (98%) sulfuric acid (3.0 mL) is added. The mixture is heated to reflux 18 hr. The reaction is cooled and concentrated. The residue is diluted with water (100 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×50 mL). The combined extracts are dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated to yield the title compound as an orange oil, 5.46 g, 100%. MS M++1 167. The structure is confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Provenance & Evidence