Both new pathways (Schemes 1 and 2) start with 5-tert-butylisophthalic acid and follow the same general synthetic procedures. However, the yield of the large-scale pathway is improved by using the corresponding di-ester dimethyl-5-tert-butylisophthalate, 2. This extra step provides better yields in the next step in which lithium aluminum hydride is used to access diol 3. If the diacid is used directly, then the LiAlH4 is known to sacrifice one of its hydride equivalents in deprotonation. Therefore, converting acid to ester eliminates this interference at larger scales.