Regioselective Synthesis of 2,6-Dimethyltetralin:  Key Precursor to 2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene

A novel regioselective synthesis for 2,6-dimethyltetralin (2,6-DMT), a key precursor to 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene (2,6-DMN), is described. The synthesis comprises the following three steps; the Heck reaction between commercially available 4-bromotoluene and 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, the catalytic reduction of the coupling products, and the acid-catalyzed cyclization of the alcohol intermediate. The process has an advantage over the established processes in that 2,6-DMT is obtained as the only isomer, and the isomerization and/or the complicated separation and purification steps are not required to produce pure 2,6-DMT. 2,6-DMN could be also obtained as a major product depending on the cyclization conditions.