Ethylene glycol as hydrogen donor for the syntheses of thymol analogues via hydrolysis of 4-methylcoumarins
Treatment of 4-methylcoumarins with potassium hydroxide in ethylene glycol resulted in the formation of the 'normal' 2-isopropenylphenols and/or the 'abnormal' 2-isopropylphenols depending on the nature of the substrates. The solvent ethylene glycol was b