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Paracetamol synthesis

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Hi.

 

I'm doing this projekt with a friend in school, we whant to make Paracetamol, the problem however is that we can't find a recipe were we start with Phenol.

 

In other words we whant to make this synthesis:

paramake.gif

 

If anyone know were to get or have a recipe on this plz post it :)

 

- Sir Joe

Try performing a Kolbe carboxylation on the phenol first and then carrying out the synthesis of acetominophen with acetic anhydride. It's more efficient, and on top of this, you won't have to worry about nitrating phenol and then having to separate the ortho and para products.

I agree with darkblade.

 

The direct nitration of phenol is a good prep for the ortho nitrophenol as it has an intramolecular hydrogen bond and so is easily separated by steam distillation. It is possible to get reasonably pure para nitrophenol from the residue but there is usually a lot of tarry rubbish as well, making the yield low.

Phenol will also react with sodium nitrite in the presence of H2SO4 (7-8C) to give an 80% yield of p-nitrosophenol which can be reduced in the same way as p-nitrophenol.

 

I would however caution against slap dash use of nitrites as they can produce nitrosamines under the right circumstances and they are very carcinogenic

  • 6 years later...

Try performing a Kolbe carboxylation on the phenol first and then carrying out the synthesis of acetominophen with acetic anhydride. It's more efficient, and on top of this, you won't have to worry about nitrating phenol and then having to separate the ortho and para products.

i go with him...

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