A practical synthesis of 3-chloro-2,4-difluoro-5-hydroxybenzoic acid

A new and practical synthesis of 3-chloro-2,4-difluoro-5-hydroxybenzoic acid, a key intermediate for preparing antimicrobial 3-quinolinecarboxylic acid drugs, is synthesized from 2,4-difluoro-3-chlororobenzoic acid. The protocol involves nitration, esterification, reduction of NO2, diazotization, and hydrolysis with a 70% overall yield. The structures of the synthesized compounds are determined by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The advantages of this developed synthetic strategy include an improved overall yield and readily controllable reaction conditions.