462 g of ethanol was added to 421.4 g of 50% glyoxylic acid (2.85 mol). After adding 40 g (0.406 mol) of concentrated hydrochloric acid, the mixture was heated to 55 °C over 20 minutes. The reaction mixture was then mixed with 111 g (0.80 mol) of potassium carbonate. The degree of esterification can be calculated based on the amount of potassium carbonate required for neutralization. This was 57.89%. To separate the formed potassium carbonate, an additional 400 g of ethanol was added to reduce the solubility of the salt, which was then filtered off. Finally, Ethyl glyoxalate was distilled off. The synthetic route is shown in the figure.
Figure: Synthetic Route of Ethyl glyoxalate
