Methanol → Hexanoic acid, 6-hydroxy-, methyl ester

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Reaction Steps

A solution of ε-caprolactone (11.4 g, 0.100 mol), MeOH (300 mL) and concentrated H2SO4 (5 mL) was refluxed overnight. The resulting mixture was cooled to room temperature and concentrated. Water was added to the residue and the pH was adjusted to 7 with solid NaHCO3. The aqueous layer was extracted with ether. The combined organic layers were washed with water, dried and concentrated to give 6-hydroxy-hexanoic acid methyl ester as a colorless oil, which was used in the next step without further purification.

Provenance & Evidence