A Study of Reactions Directed Toward the Preparation of Some Alkoxybiphenyls by the Williamson Synthesis

Abstract

There is a large group of substituted ethers among the biphenyls which needs to be synthesized, particularly with a view toward obtaining asymmetric carbons in alkyl groups attached to the biphenyl nucleus. This necessitates the use of anitpodes of previously resolved alcohols, and those ethers with asymmetric carbons joined directly to oxygen are of particular interest because of the difference in effect which optically active solvents of the alcohol type might have on their ultraviolet absorption spectra. This work is directed toward the preparation of the methoxy-, ethoxy-, and sec-toxybi}ilenyls, by a means which can be extended to the preparation of several optically active ethers. The preparation of the optically active ethers i s to be accomplished by using one antipode of a previously resolved alcohol. [From Introduction]