4- phenylacetic acid

In a 5-I. round-bottom flask, fitted with a mechanical stirrer and reflux condenser, are mixed 1150 cc. of water, 840 cc. of commercial sulfuric acid and 700 g. of benzyl cyanide (preparation III, p. 9). The mixture is heated under a reflux condenser and stirred for three hours, cooled slightly and then poured into 2 1. of cold water. The mixture should be stirred so that a solid cake is not formed the phenylacetic acid is then filtered off. This crude material should be melted under water and washed by decantation several times with hot water. These washings, on cooling, deposit a small amount of phenylacetic acid which is filtered off and added to the main portion of material. The last of the hot water is poured off from the material while it is still molten and it is then transferred to a 2-1. Claisen distilling flask and distilled in vacuo. A small amount of water comes over first and is rejected about 20 cc., containing an appreciable amount of benzyl cyanide, then distils. This fraction is used in the next run. The distillate boiling i76-i89°/50 mm. is collected separately and solidifies on standing. It is practically pure phenylacetic acid, m. p. 76-76.5° it amounts to 630 g. (77.5 per cent of the theoretical amount). As the fraction which is returned to the second run of material contains a considerable portion of phenylacetic acid, the yield actually amounts to at least 80 per cent. 

For the preparation of small quantities of phenylacetic acid, it is convenient to use the modified method given in the Notes. 

The standard directions for the preparation of phenylacetic acid specify that the benzyl cyanide is to be treated with dilute sulfuric acid prepared by adding three volumes of sulfuric acid to two volumes ot water. There action, however, goes so vigorously that it is always necessary to have a trap for collecting the benzyl cyanide which is blown out of the apparatus. The use of the more dilute acid, as described in the above directions, is more satisfactory. 

The phenylacetic acid may also be made by boiling under a reflux condenser for eight to fifteen hours, without a stirrer, but this method is not nearly so satisfactory as that described 

When only small quantities of the acid are required, the following modified procedure is of value. One hundred grams of benzyl cyanide are added to a mixture containing ioo cc. of water, ioo cc. of concentrated sulfuric acid, and ioo cc. of glacial acetic acid. After this has been heated for forty-five minutes under a reflux condenser, the hydrolysis is practically complete. The reaction mixture is then poured into water, and the phenylacetic acid isolated in the usual manner. 

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The ketones are readily prepared, for example, acetophenone from benzene, acetyl chloride (or acetic anhydride) and aluminium chloride by the Friedel and Crafts reaction ethyl benzyl ketones by passing a mixture of phenylacetic acid and propionic acid over thoria at 450° and n-propyl- p-phenylethylketone by circulating a mixture of hydrocinnamic acid and n-butyric acid over thoria (for further details, see under Aromatic Ketones, Sections IV,136, IV,137 and IV,141). 

The preparation of a-phenylclnnamlc acid from benzaldehyde, phenylacetic acid, acetic anhydride and triethylamine is described. Presumably equilibria are set up between phenylacetic acid and acetic anhydride to form phenylacetic anhydride, a mixed anhydride or both ... 

The dibenzyl ketone has a very high b.p. (ca. 200°/21 mm.) and this remains in the flask when the unsymmetrical ketone has been removed by distillation. The dialkyl ketone has a comparatively low b.p. and is therefore easily removed by fractionation under normal pressure acetone is most simply separated by washing with water. In this way methyl benzyl ketone (R = CHj), ethyl benzyl ketone (R = CHgCH,) and n-propyl benzyl ketone (R = CHjCHjCH,) are prepared. By using hydrocinnamic acid in place of phenylacetic acid ... 

Ethyl benzyl ketone. Use 204 g. of phenylacetic acid (m.p. 77°) and 333 g. (335 -5 ml.) of propionic acid (b.p. 139-141°), but omit the extraction with benzene when working up the distillate. Distil the dried... 

Phenylacetic acid. Use 5 0 g. of magnesium, 25 g, (23 ml.) of redistilled benzyl chloride (Section IV,22) and 75 ml. of sodium-dried ether. Allow the reaction mixture to warm to 15° and then decompose it with dilute hydrochloric or sulphuric acid. Filter off the crude acid and recrystallize it from water. The yield of pure phenylacetic acid, m.p. 76-77°, is 11 g. 

Phenylacetic acid is appreciably soluble in water, so that the yield is poor it may be improved by evaporating the filtrates to a small volume and extracting with ether. 

Place 25 g. of phenylacetic acid (Section IV,160) in a 500 ml. round-bottomed flask, cool the latter in running water and add 250 ml. of fuming nitric acid, rather slowly at first and then more rapidly. The addition occupies about 15 minutes. Attach a condenser to the flask, reflux the solution for 1 hour, and pour into about 500 ml. of cold water. When cold, filter the crude 2 4-dinitrophenylacetic acid at the pump and wash it with cold water the resulting acid, after drying at 100°, is almost pure (m.p. 181°) and weighs 31 g. Recrystallise it from 300 ml, of 20 per cent, alcohol. Collect the first main crop (25 g.), and allow the mother liquor to stand overnight when a further 2 g. of pure acid is obtained dry at 100°, The yield of pure 2 4-dinitrophenylacetic acid, m.p. 183°, is 27 g. 

This product is sufficiently pure for the preparation of phenylacetic acid and its ethyl ester, but it contains some benzyl tso-cyanide and usually develops an appreciable colour on standing. The following procedure removes the iso-cyanide and gives a stable water-white compound. Shake the once-distilled benzyl cyanide vigorously for 5 minutes with an equal volume of warm (60°) 60 per cent, sulphuric acid (prepared by adding 55 ml. of concentrated sulphuric acid to 100 ml. of water). Separate the benzyl cyanide, wash it with an equal volume of sa+urated sodium bicarbonate solution and then with an equal volume of half-saturated sodium chloride solution- Dry with anhydrous magnesium sulphate and distil under reduced pressure. The loss in washing is very small (compare n-Butyl Cyanide, Section 111,113, in which concentrated hydrochloric acid is employed). 

Hydrolysis of benzyl cyanide to phenylacetic acid. Into a 500 ml. round-bottomed flask, provided with a reflux condenser, place 100 ml. 

Hydrolysis of benzyl cyanide to phenylacetamide. In a 1500 ml. three-necked flask, provided with a thermometer, reflux condenser and efficient mechanical stirrer, place 100 g. (98 ml.) of benzyl]cyanide and 400 ml. of concentrated hydrochloric acid. Immerse the flask in a water bath at 40°. and stir the mixture vigorously the benzyl cyanide passes into solution within 20-40 minutes and the temperature of the reaction mixture rises to about 50°, Continue the stirring for an additional 20-30 minutes after the mixture is homogeneous. Replace the warm water in the bath by tap water at 15°, replace the thermometer by a dropping funnel charged with 400 ml. of cold distilled water, and add the latter with stirring crystals commence to separate after about 50-75 ml. have been introduced. When all the water has been run in, cool the mixture externally with ice water for 30 minutes (1), and collect the crude phenylacetamide by filtration at the pump. Remove traces of phenylacetic acid by stirring the wet sohd for about 30 minutes with two 50 ml. portions of cold water dry the crystals at 50-80°. The yield of phenylacetamide, m.p. 154-155°, is 95 g. RecrystaUisation from benzene or rectified spirit raises the m.p. to 156°. 

The suspension of phenylacetamide may be further hydrolysed to phenylacetic acid by refluxing with stirring until the solid dissolves. The mixture becomes turbid after 30 minutes and the product begins to separate as an oil refluxing is continued for 6 hours, the mixture is cooled first with tap water and then by an ice-water bath for about 4 hours. The crude phenylacetic acid is filtered at the pump, washed with two 50 ml. portions of cold water, and dried in a desiccator. The resulting crude acid melts at 69- 70° it may be purified by recrystallisation from light p>etroleum (b.p. 40-60°) or, better, by vacuum distillation. 

Reflux a mixture of 15 g. of homoanisamide, 30 g. of potassium hydroxide and 300 ml. of ethanol on a water bath for 5 hours. Dilute with 750 ml. of water, evaporate to 75 ml. and acidify to Congo red. Collect the acid and recrystallise it from ethyl alcohol. The yield of p-methoxy-phenylacetic acid, m.p. 86-87°, is 13 g. 

The mechanism of the reaction la not known with certainty. It is known from studies utilising as tracer that no change in the carbon skeleton occurs during the reaction, and also that unsaturated hydrocarbons can undergo reactions very similar to those of ketones thus both styiene and phenyl-acetylene can react with sulphur and morpholine to produce phenylaceto-thiomorphoUde, hydrolysis of which yields phenylacetic acid ... 

Upon prolonged standing or, more rapidly, upon refluxing for 4-18 hours, the sodium atom migrates and benzyl-sodium is formed, as is proved by the production of phenylacetic acid in good yield upon carbonation. 

Acids. Acetic acid re-Caproic acid Benzoic acid Phenylacetic acid Succinic acid Adipic acid Anthranihc acid. 

This is a way to do this procedure without having to use one of those crazy tube furnaces stuffed with thorium oxide or manganous oxide catalyst [21]. The key here is to use an excess of acetic anhydride. Using even more than the amount specified will insure that the reaction proceeds in the right direction and the bad side reaction formation of dibenzylketone will be minimalized (don t ask). 18g piperonylic acid or 13.6g phenylacetic acid, 50mL acetic anhydride and 50mU pyridine are refluxed for 6 hours and the solvent removed by vacuum distillation. The remaining residue is taken up in benzene or ether, washed with 10% NaOH solution (discard the water layer), and vacuum distilled to get 8g P2P (56%). 

METHOD 7 Another piperonylic acid method for your perusal [22, 23]. 70g piperonylic acid or 65g phenylacetic acid in 250mL DCM is stirred in a flask and 64g SOCb is added dropwise. The solution is heated to reflux until no more HCI gas is released from the solution. The chemist should have a tube leading from the top of the reflux condenser to a glass of water to catch all that HCI... 

This procedure is called chloromethylation and will not only turn 1,3-benzodioxole into a methyl chloride but will work equally well in converting plain old benzene into benzyl chloride. Both are important stepping stones towards the production of X and meth. For example, benzyl chloride is a schedule I controlled substance because it will beget benzaldehyde and phenylacetonitrile (a precursor for phenylacetic acid). 

The phenylacetic acid derivative 469 is produced by the carbonylation of the aromatic aldehyde 468 having electron-donating groups[jl26]. The reaction proceeds at 110 C under 50-100 atm of CO with the catalytic system Pd-Ph3P-HCl. The reaction is explained by the successive dicarbonylation of the benzylic chlorides 470 and 471 formed in situ by the addition of HCl to aldehyde to form the malonate 472, followed by decarboxylation. As supporting evidence, mandelic acid is converted into phenylacetic acid under the same reaction conditions[327]. 

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