Hi!
Swim attempted to do the dimethylsulfate synth posted on rhodium's page(it uses ethanol, but methanol was substituted and the molar ratios was corrected). The yeild from a double batch was 4 grammes and should have been more like 53 g... Dont know why the yeild was so horrible, but the synth was dropped as it is way to much of a hassle.
Swim was then thinking of using trimethyl phosphate instead, as it is cheap and easily available here
The compound to be alkylated was 2-methyl-hydroquinone. There has been a report here on the hive where a 70% yeild was reported on hydroquinone. Do you think that equall yeilds is doable on methylhydroquinone?
As far as i could tell from the original patent, aldehyde-phenolic compound's are more readily alkylated than the corresponding phenols. Is it an advantage to convert the methylhydroquinine to 4-methyl-2,5-dihydroxy-benzaldehyde first and then do the methylation?
Thanks alot!
Regards
Bandil