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Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Conversion of aromatic methyl ketones to esters and carboxylic acids using o-phthalaldehyde as an oxidant
Rajendra Prasad1, Saurabh Kumar Singh1, Ranajit Maity1
1Department of Chemistry, Central University of Jharkhand, Cheri-Manatu, Ranchi-835222, India. partha.ghosh@cuj.ac.in.
Abstract:
Herein we describe a two-step conversion of aromatic methyl ketones to esters and carboxylic acids employing o-phthalaldehyde as an oxidant. In the first step, o-phthalaldehyde oxidizes the methyl group to 1-indanone, which acts as a leaving group in a subsequent regioselective retro-Claisen condensation to form esters and carboxylic acids. The mild oxidation conditions ensure the method is applicable to a broad range of substrates. Additionally, the two-step method is operationally simple and scalable, and can also be performed in a single pot.
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