The invention discloses a synthesis method of high-content trinexapac-ethyl. The method comprises the following steps: (1) carrying out
condensation reaction on diethyl maleate and
acetone to obtain 2-acetonyl-1, 4-
diethyl succinate; (2) carrying out cyclization reaction on the product in the step (1) to obtain 3, 5-dioxo cyclohexyl
ethyl formate sodium salt; (3) dissolving the product obtained in the step (2) with
toluene, adding
triethylamine, cooling to 2 DEG C after the addition is completed, then adding cyclopropylformyl
chloride, transferring into a high-temperature
oil bath after the addition is completed, desolventizing
toluene under negative pressure at 80 DEG C, then continuously heating, and collecting fractions at 200-240 DEG C to obtain an esterified intermediate with the content of 98% or above; and (4) dissolving the product obtained in the step (3) with
toluene, adding DMAP, carrying out a reaction to generate a trinexapac-ethyl toluene solution, and removing the
solvent to obtain trinexapac-ethyl. According to the method, the
processing steps are simplified; industrial
wastewater is not generated, and the method is environment-friendly; esterification post-treatment is carried out in an original reaction kettle, and the reaction yield is high.