Summary
Carboxylic acids can be converted to their methyl esters in an aqueous sample which contains no organic solvent. The reaction appears to be assisted by the presence of a quaternary ammonium salt surfactant. The procedure is best described as a pseudo-organic phase, or micelle-like, reaction. The important experimental variables have been optimized by Simplex procedures. The reaction proceeds in 80–100% yield, for common carboxylic acids, at room temperature in less than one hour. This reaction is superior to existing two-phase extractive alkylation procedures.
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Skow, C.A.R., Bicking, M.K.L. Direct alkylation of carboxylic in aqueous samples. Chromatographia 21, 157–160 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02311745
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02311745