Acetoxymethylation of Coumarins by Manganese(III) Acetate

Abstract
The reactions of 4-methoxy-, 7-methoxy-, 6,7-dimethoxy-, and 7,8-dimethoxycoumarins with manganese(III) acetate in boiling acetic acid containing acetic anhydride gave 3-(acetoxymethyl) coumarins as the major product. The reactions of coumarin, and 6-methoxy- and 8-methoxycoumarins with manganese(III) acetate yielded a mixture of 3-(diacetoxymethyl)- and nuclear acetoxymethylated coumarins. The reaction of 7-methoxycoumarin with lead(IV) acetate gave 7-methoxy-3-methylcoumarin.