Oxidation of 2-methoxy-6-(1-methylethyl)naphthalene with oxygen

Abstract  

Aerobic oxidation of 2-methoxy-6-(1-methylethyl)naphthalene to hydroperoxide, alcohol, and ketone, is reported. These compounds, particularly 2-acetyl-6-methoxynaphthalene, are important intermediates in naproxen synthesis. N-Hydroxyphthalimide is shown here to be an efficient catalyst for oxidation to the hydroperoxide, 2-methoxy-6-(1-hydroperoxy-1-methylethyl)naphthalene, with a yield of 87%. However, the ketone and alcohol were obtained with lower yields, with a maximum yield of 13% for the ketone and 27% for the alcohol, using N-hydroxyphthalimide and Cu(II) acetylacetonate as a catalyst. The synthesis of the products 2-acetyl-6-methoxynaphthalene and 2-methoxy-6-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)naphthalene via an initial oxidation step to the hydroperoxide followed by a hydroperoxide decomposition step is shown to be more efficient; the ketone and alcohol were obtained from 2-methoxy-6-(1-methylethyl)naphthalene with yields of 40 and 56%, respectively.