Methyl 2-methyl-3-nitrobenzoate is an important organic synthetic material and pharmaceutical intermediate compound. It can be used for the preparation of the anticancer drug lenalidomide as well as other organic compounds (e.g., indole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 5-nitroisocoumarin, 5-aminoisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, etc.).
Methyl 2-methyl-3-nitrobenzoate may be used in the synthesis of methyl indole-4-carboxylate, 5-aminoisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, 5-nitroisocoumarin and [2-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-indol-4-yl]-1-pyrrolidinylmethanone. It may also be used in the preparation of substituted nitrostyrene benzoic acids, via reaction with aromatic aldehydes in the presence of DBU in DMSO; and 4-(hydroxymethyl)-1-tosylindole, via Batcho-Leimgruber modification of the Reissert indole synthesis.
