Methanol → Methyl bis(p-chlorophenyl)acetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Bis-(4-chloro-phenyl)-acetic acid (4.33 g, 15.4 mmol) was suspended in anhydrous methanol (20 mL) and concentrated hydrochloric acid (5 drops) was added. After 1 day the reaction was quenched by the addition of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution, then the organic solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and 50% saturated potassium carbonate solution. The organic phase was washed with brine, dried (MgSO4), filtered and concentrated to give a residue which was purified by column chromatography (SiO2), eluting with 10% ethyl acetate/petrol, to afford the title compound as a colourless oil (3.57 g, 78%); LCMS (PS-B3) Rt 3.79 min, No Ionisation. 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ 3.74 (3H, s), 4.96 (1H, s), 7.20-7.23 (4H, m), 7.28-7.32 (4H, m).

Provenance & Evidence