Electrolytic methoxylation of halognofurans

-Halogenofurans are electrolytically methoxylated in two ways in the presence of sulfuric acid electrolyte, methoxyl groups either adding at the 2 and 5 positions in the furan ring or replacing a ring halogen atom. The following are methoxylated: 2-bromo-, 2-iodofuran, 5-chloro-, 5-bromo-, and 5-iodofurfural, ethyl 5-bromopyromucate. Derivatives of 2, 2, 5-trimethoxy-2, 5-dihydrofuran are prepared, giving on hydrolysis-aldehydo- and-ketoacrylic acids.Total anode polarization graphs are obtained in order to study the electrolytic methoxylation reaction mechanism.Furfural and 2-acetylfuran methoxylate, but only after first undergoing conversion to the dimethylacetal 1, 2].Electrolytic methoxylation of furan derivatives using sulfuric acid as electrolyte was first applied to methoxylation of a pyromucic ester, which, as referred to above, is not methylated using ammonium bromide.