This article is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Victor Meyer reaction
Abstract
Easily accessible and stable ring-methoxylated benzyl chlorides react with AgNO2 to give mixtures of the corresponding arylnitromethanes and nitrite esters. A modified
approach for the isolation of arylnitromethanes is described, which represents a valuable
improvement of the established Victor Meyer reaction. The isolation technique, which
involves reaction of the nitrite ester with urea in methanol, allows the desired arylnitromethanes
to be isolated, without loss, in 29–75% yields, and generates the corresponding recyclable
benzyl alcohols. Unexpectedly, ring-methoxylated benzyl iodides cannot be used because
they are not sufficiently stable and produce tars under the developed reaction conditions.
Key words
arylnitromethanes - benzyl chloride - polymethoxybenzene - nucleophilic substitution
- Victor Meyer reaction
