The general procedure for the synthesis of 2-(2-ethoxyphenoxy)ethanol from ethylene carbonate and o-ethoxyphenol was as follows: o-ethoxyphenol (55.0 g, 0.398 mol), ethylene carbonate (70.1 g, 0.796 mol), and potassium carbonate (12.1 g, 0.088 mol) were added to toluene (550 mL), and the reaction was carried out at reflux for 24 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, ethyl acetate (275 mL) and saturated saline (550 mL) were added to the reaction mixture and extracted. After separation of the organic layer, it was dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give 2-(2-ethoxyphenoxy)ethanol (72.5 g, 100% yield).
