4455-13-4

64-17-5

2444-37-3

4455-13-4

Toluene (30 mL), ethanol (2.39 g, 169.59 mmol), and 2-(methylthio)acetic acid (15 g, 141.32 mmol) were sequentially added to a 100 mL round-bottomed flask at room temperature, followed by the addition of p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (4.03 g, 21.20 mmol) as a catalyst. The reaction mixture was gently heated to reflux and the dehydration reaction was carried out for 3 to 5 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, the mixture was cooled to room temperature, followed by addition of triethylamine (2.86 g, 28.26 mmol) to neutralize the acidic catalyst and silica gel for adsorption. After brief stirring, the silica gel was removed by filtration. The filtrate was distilled under reduced pressure to remove the solvent and finally purified by distillation to give ethyl (methylthio)acetate (14.81 g, 78% yield).