PS: why still follow that damned addition of MeOH to a 15% H2SO4 solution? Redundant.
Perhaps he is not versed in chemistry, and was only doing what he should have done to be successful: He followed the writeup he chose verbatim. If this is so, then I don't grudge him the slightest bit for not knowing. If this is so, I say to him, "Thanks for using your brain and following directions like so many others should learn to do."
#1 reason why people generally suck at sciences, especially chemistry and physics: They can't follow directions.
It may seem very simple, but it's true. Although many people consider chemistry to be rocket science, it is based on one big assumption, that is often incorrect for most people, causing them to fail: That you have the very basic ability to follow explicit directions when they are given to you.
There are so many people that will be able to cook themselves a steak from scratch when hungry with not so much as a piece of paper for help; using only their common sense, memory, and instincts. But when supplied with very detailed directions on how to prepair a boiling water bath, they will choke every time. The average person's inability to follow directions is truly amazing.
PrimoPyro
Post 264135 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=11605.msg26413500#msg26413500)
(Scooby_Doo: "Ref on Isosafrole to diol via electro", Novel Discourse), conversion from the epoxide was done in ~85% yield.