Diethyl Ether → 4-Ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

In a 5 mL flask opened to the air, to a clear solution of 3,4-dimethoxystyrene (100 μL, 0.755 mmol) in benzene (0.8 mL) was added triethylsilane (240 μL, 0.816 mmol). The flask was placed in a 60° C. bath and iodo[bis(triphenylphosphine)]dioxorhenium(V) (32 mg, 0.037 mmol) was added. The resulting brown solution was heated at 60° C. for 12 hours. The crude reaction mixture was directly applied to a SiO2 column and chromatographed eluting with 4:1 hexanes:diethyl ether to afford 3,4-dimethoxyethylbenzene (52 mg, 57% yield) as a colorless liquid. The reaction was repeated using pent-2-enal and t-butyl acrylate as the electrophilic reactants, as indicated in the first two schemes above (wherein “TES” represents triethylsilyl).

Provenance & Evidence