• Clean Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.325-328
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• 2011

Atom-efficient preparation of 9, 9'-bis[4-(2'-hydroxy-3'-acryloyloxypropoxy) phenyl]fluorene (3), the extensively used building block for fluorene-containing acrylic epoxy polymers has been described. The epoxide ring opening esterification of 9, 9-bis[4-(glycidyloxy)phenyl]fluorene (1) with acrylic acid was catalyzed by some onium salts such as quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts. While the coupling reactions depend greatly on the kind of the onium salts, the reaction of 9, 9-bis[4-(glycidyloxy)phenyl]fluorene (1) with acrylic acid proceed most efficiently in the presence of a catalytic amount of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide at $110^{\circ}C$ with 90% yield. This reaction is a cleaner reaction that minimizes the use of reactants and the production of chemical wastes.