A chemical amplifier is a structure that translates a single bond-breaking event into release of numerous chemical outputs. In this way, a single bond cleavage input reaction (e.g. a reaction triggered by an analyte, a photon, or an enzyme) can be translated into the release of numerous output chemical cargoes. Outputs can take the form of reporting molecules (e.g. fluorescent dyes), biomolecules, or drugs. This kind of chemical amplifier has numerous applications in chemical sensing, molecular machines, and in drug delivery. Herein we report a detailed study of self-immolative linkers and the synthesis of a chemical amplifier based on a mellitic acid derived methyl ester using a novel synthetic method. Similar molecules, requiring multi-step synthesis, are also discussed.