Check this patent out! This synthesis seems pretty easy, if you have acetic anhydride. The yeilds for substituted benzyl chlorides are not stellar, however they were able to get an 80% conversion of BzCl to P2P.
Synthesis of benzyl methyl ketone (phenylacetone) from benzyl chloride and acetic anhydride.Patent US4629541
In these examples, the anode is made of magnesium or aluminium, the cathode of nickel the solvent is DMF (110 g) and the supporting electrolyte is tetrabutylammonium fluoroborate (2 g, i.e. 6 mmol).
After the electrolysis (2.2 faradays per mole of benzyl chloride), the remaining benzyl chloride, the toluene which is a byproduct of the reduction of benzyl chloride, and benzyl methyl ketone, both in free form and in the form of its enol acetate, are determined by GC in an aliquot portion.
After the DMF has been evaporated off and the residue has been hydrolysed with hot dilute HCl, benzyl methyl ketone is isolated by extraction with ether. Pure benzyl methyl ketone has been identified from its IR and NMR spectra, and its purity has been verified by GC.
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