Sulfuric Acid → m3OMG

Participants

Reaction Steps

In 2.95 l of a 5% aqueous solution of borax was dissolved 36.8 g of methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate, and the solution was stirred at room temperature for 5 hours. Then, 110.5 ml of dimethyl sulfate and a solution of sodium hydroxide were dropped into the solution and the reaction mixture was further stirred for 5 hours. After cooling, the mixture was made acidic by concentrated sulfuric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate. The solvent was removed from the extract to obtain 25.5 g of methyl 5-methoxy-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (the yield was 64.5%).

Provenance & Evidence