Process of making phenylacrylic esters

A method for the preparation of phenylacrylic esters of the formula II ##STR12## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or a methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, methylthio, ethylthio, propylthio, fluoro, chloro, bromo, methyl, ethyl, nitro or amino group, and R.sup.2 is a hydrogen or methyl group;

• or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together form a methylenedioxy group;
• and R.sup.3 is a lower alkyl group, which method comprises:
• (1) condensing the appropriately substituted phenol acetic ester of formula V ##STR13## with a di(lower alkyl)oxalate in the presence of a basic catalyst, to produce a solution of an enolate salt of formula IV ##STR14## wherein R is a lower alkyl group and M is an alkali metal, (2) acidifying the solution of the salt IV to give the corresponding phenyloxaloacetate III ##STR15## (3) reacting the compound III with formaldehyde under alkaline conditions to give the corresponding phenyl hydroxymethyl acetate which spontaneously dehydrates to the ester II,
• each of the steps (1), (2) and (3) being carried out at room temperature.