4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde → N-[(4-Hydroxyphenyl)methyl]formamide

4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1.22 g or 10 mmol), formamide (22.72 g or 20.03 mL) and formic acid (2.43 g or 2 mL) were placed into a 50 mL round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer, a reflux condenser, a magnetic stirrer and a heating mantle. The reaction mixture was heated to 189° C. The heating was immediately turned off; the reaction flask was quickly raised from the heating mantle and allowed to cool to room temperature. The TLC conducted on the cold reaction mixture confirmed that the reaction was complete. The reaction mixture was diluted with 50 ml of water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried with sodium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated to produce 1.17 g (77.1%) of 4-hydroxybenzylformamide (IV).