Sciencemadness Discussion Board

4-hydroxybenzoic acid synthesis

jack-sparrow - 12-4-2006 at 10:22

Hi, I am looking for a good method to synthesize 4-hydroxybenzoic acid.

:cool:Thanx

solo - 12-4-2006 at 18:12

You might try looking this up......solo

Selective synthesis of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid with -cyclodextrin as catalyst
Makoto Komiyama *, Hidefumi Hirai
Die Makromolekulare Chemie, Rapid Communications
Volume 2, Issue 11 , Pages 661 - 662,2003


[Edited on 13-4-2006 by solo]

caribou - 13-4-2006 at 00:14

See also http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?prep=cv2p0341 and references cited therein.

jack-sparrow - 13-4-2006 at 04:51

thank you Solo, I will try to get a hand on this paper.

Thank you caribou but I already tried that synthesis.

jack-sparrow - 25-8-2006 at 11:11

Hi, I am still struggling to get a good protocol for this prep. If possible, something that gives the para isomer selectively. I plan to do the reaction on 100 g scale so I dont want to get messed up in the separation of 2 and 4 hydroxybenzoic isomers.

Thank you

not_important - 26-8-2006 at 01:46

Check the ' Phenol from Paractemol (Acetominophen) ' thread in Reagents and Apparatus . There I mention the conversion of o-hydroxybenzoic acid (salicylic) to the para isomer by heating the potassium salt. It is detailed in some old o-chem book or other, don't remember which right now.

You're going to have to do o/p isomer separation at some stage, or just buy the target material. Nothing gives really clean production. In the case of the o => p acid-K salt, it's prett good conversion. I think that steam distillation can be used to remove the ortho isomer (reuse it); while the difference isn't as great as with the nitro-phenols it's still there. Crystallisation of the less volatile gives the param, the mother liquor can be evaporated and recycled.

It helps to run the reaction in a sealed tube, under a couple of atmospheres of CO2 pressure; decarboxylation to phenol is the competing reaction.

If you can get bulk Parabens, you have an ester of the acid.