Formation of sodium 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoate in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kolbe-Schmitt</Emphasis> reaction

This work is an extension of our investigation of the mechanism of the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction of sodium 2-naphthoxide. The carboxylation reaction of sodium 2-naphthoxide in the position 6 is examined by means of the B3LYP/LANL2DZ method. After the initial formation of sodium 2-naphthoxide-CO₂ complex, the carbon of the CO₂ moiety performs an electrophilic attack on the naphthalene ring in position 8. Further transformations lead to the formation of sodium 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoate. Our findings are in good agreement with the experimental results on the carboxylation reaction of sodium 2-naphthoxide. Correspondence: Svetlana Marković, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia.