Synthesis of 5-chloro-8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-pentylisocoumarin

The synthesis of title isocoumarin, the 5-chloro analog of naturally occurring 7-chloro-8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-pentylisocoumarin, isolated from Tessmannia densiflora is described. Chlorination of ethyl 2-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-4,6-dimethoxybenzoate (2) afforded 3-chloro ester (3) followed by hydrolysis to furnish the 2-(carboxymethyl)-3-chloro-4,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid (4) that was converted to corresponding anhydride (5). Condensation of the latter with hexanoyl chloride in the presence of tetramethylguanidine and triethyl amine afforded 5-chloro-6,8-dimethoxy-3-pentylisocoumarin (6) which upon regioselective demethylation yielded the title isocoumarin (1).