Chloromethyl methyl ether (CMME), a known carcinogen, is commonly used as a protecting group to produce the methoxymethyl (MOM) ester from a carboxylic acid. We investigated the use of dimethoxymethane (DMM) in place of CMME as a more green and cost effective way to produce the MOM ester. It is known that DMM may be used to make the MOM ethers, but we investigated it as a way to make the MOM ester instead. DMM and several catalytic Lewis acids were investigated to optimize the process.

Use of dimethoxymethane in place of chloromethyl methyl ether to prepare methoxymethyl (MOM) esters

249th National Meeting (2015)

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