Investigations into the Bromination of Substituted Phenols using Diethyl Bromomalonate and Diethyl Dibromomalonate

Abstract
Substituted 4-bromophenols can be synthesised efficiently by heating the corresponding phenol in either neat diethyl bromomalonate or diethyl dibromomalonate. We discuss the regioselectivity of such reactions and comment on the scope and limitation of this procedure.