# One-pot synthesis of ethylmaltol from maltol

## TL;DR

The paper presents a new one-pot method to synthesize ethylmaltol, a flavor enhancer, from the natural compound maltol.

## Contribution

A scalable and operationally simple one-pot synthesis of ethylmaltol using a renewable precursor is introduced.

## Key findings

- A direct methylation approach failed due to overalkylation and low-temperature requirements.
- A protecting group strategy enabled selective methylation under mild conditions.
- The developed method allows for efficient ethylmaltol synthesis from maltol.

## Abstract

A novel route to the flavor enhancer ethylmaltol, a synthetic 4-pyrone, from naturally abundant maltol is disclosed. Two strategies were explored for the required C1 homologation. The most direct approach, C–C bond formation via methylation of a dianionic intermediate, proved unsuitable due to competing overalkylation and the necessity of sub-zero temperatures. In contrast, a transient protecting group approach enabled selective methylation under mild conditions. This culminated in a scalable, operationally simple one-pot synthesis of ethylmaltol from a renewable precursor.