Organic base catalyzed O-alkylation of phenols under solvent-free condition

Several phenyl ethers were prepared under solvent-free condition at room temperature with good to excellent yields by simply grinding the mixture of relevant phenol, alkyl bromide, anhydrous potassium carbonate and organic base as catalyst in a mortar. This method is easy to handle and provides also a convenient procedure for protecting phenols in organic synthesis. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.