Potassium Hydroxide → 3-(4-Benzyloxyphenyl)propionic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

Benzyl 3-(4-benzyloxyphenyl)propionate (9.25 g) and a solution of 2.8 g potassium hydroxide in 95% ethanol (125 ml) were placed in a flask, and the mixture was heated under reflux for 30 minutes. At the end of reaction, the solvent was distilled off, ethyl acetate was added to the residue, and the resulting mixture was transferred to a separating funnel. After washing with 1N HCl and water, the ethyl acetate layer was collected and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, the solvent was distilled off from the dried solution, and the residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate/hexane, affording 5 g (72.7%) of pure 3-(4-benzyloxyphenyl)propionic acid.

Provenance & Evidence