Dehydrogenative Formation of Resorcinol Derivatives Using Pd/C-Ethylene Catalytic System.

The conversion of substituted 1,3-cyclohexanediones to the alkyl ethers of resorcinol using a Pd/C-ethylene system is reported. In these reactions, ethylene works as a hydrogen acceptor. The efficient synthesis of resveratrol was achieved using this protocol as a key step. In addition, the direct formation of substituted resorcinols was carried out by adding K2CO3 into the reaction media.