Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2020 number 5

The review of the results of scientific research in the field of obtaining and studying the properties of hydroxybenzoic acids and their esters is presented. The main representatives of this class of organic compounds, in particular, o - and p -hydroxybenzoic acids and their alkyl and cycloalkyl esters are considered. It is known that p -hydroxybenzoic acid is present in many organisms and acts as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of a number of other compounds. Its esters are used as preservatives in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. It occurs in nature both in the free form and in the form of derivatives. Salicylic acid has a bactericidal effect, its salts and esters are often used in medicine and veterinary medicine as drugs. It is reported that these compounds have high antimicrobial and antifungal activity against various microorganisms and fungi. The representatives of hydroxybenzoic acid esters are widely used in medical practice as bacteriostats. The main methods for the synthesis of hydroxybenzoic acids and their derivatives, in particular esters, salts and nitrogen-containing derivatives, are shown. It was stressed that o - and p -hydroxybenzoic acid esters are usually obtained from phenol in two stages according to the classical scheme: carboxylation of phenol with the introduction of a COOH group, and subsequent esterification with alcohols under the conditions of acid catalysis. The results of the author's own research are presented, in particular, the addition reactions of benzoic acid to polycycloolefin hydrocarbons were carried out, and the corresponding esters were obtained in a high yield. The influence of various reaction parameters on the yield of the target product was studied.