New Method for Synthesis of 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-enoic acid and 1- feruloyl-β-D-glucose

Ferulic acid and its esters with polyhydroxy compounds have been tested for LDL-Cholesterol lowering, tumor suppressor activities and also have chemopreventive role in development of cancer. The conventional methods to obtain Ferulic acid [3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl) prop-2-enoic acid], a member of caffeic acid family, from natural resources are expensive whereas available synthetic methods suffer from limitations like long reaction time and low yield. 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl) prop-2-enoic was synthesized using Cu(I)CN and tert-butylhypohalite with better yield. The reaction was carried out at ambient temperature and also involves simple work up. 1-Feruloyl-β-D-glucose, a substrate for serine carboxypeptidases was also synthesized with overall yield of 85%.