Methyl 3-bromo-4-methylbenzoate

67-56-1

7697-26-9

104901-43-1

The general procedure for the synthesis of methyl 3-bromo-4-methylbenzoate from methanol and 3-bromo-4-methylbenzoic acid was as follows: 3-bromo-4-methylbenzoic acid (2.0 g, 9.30 mmol) was suspended in methanol (20 ml), and sulfuric acid (0.04 ml) was added as a catalyst. The reaction mixture was stirred at 60°C for 42 hours. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was concentrated and the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered and concentrated to afford the title compound methyl 3-bromo-4-methylbenzoate as an orange oil (2.25 g, quantitative yield), which could be used for subsequent experiments without further purification.