1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene

1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene is used for the analysis of drugs in human serum and as a precursor to pharmaceuticals. It is also used as a reagent in organic synthesis. Trimethyl 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene reacts with nitrite ion to produce an unstable intermediate that undergoes hydrolysis to form trifluoroacetic acid and hydrogen gas. The reaction mechanism involves an intramolecular hydrogen transfer from the hydroxyl group of the methoxy benzene ring to the methyl group on carbon 3. This leads to formation of a highly reactive trimethyl cation that abstracts hydrogen from water or hydroxyl groups on nearby molecules and eventually undergoes hydrolysis to produce trifluoroacetic acid and hydrogen gas.