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Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Synthesis of a Borylated Ibuprofen Derivative Through Suzuki Cross-Coupling and Alkene Boracarboxylation Reactions
Published on: November 30, 2022
Sustainable Syntheses of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen from Biorenewable β-pinene
Joshua D Tibbetts1, Marc Hutchby1, William B Cunningham1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Scalable processes have been developed to convert β-pinene into 4-isopropenylcyclohexanone, which is then used as a feedstock for the divergent synthesis of sustainable versions of the common painkillers, paracetamol and ibuprofen. Both synthetic routes use Pd0 catalysed reactions to aromatize the cyclohexenyl rings of key intermediates to produce the benzenoid ring systems of both drugs. The potential of using bioderived 4-hydroxyacetophenone as a drop-in feedstock replacement to produce sustainable aromatic products is also discussed within a terpene biorefinery context.
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