Sodium borohydride → 2-(3-Nitrophenyl)propan-1-ol

Reaction equation

[N+:1]([C:4]1[CH:5]=[C:6]([CH:10]([CH3:13])[CH:11]=[O:12])[CH:7]=[CH:8][CH:9]=1)([O-:3])=[O:2].[BH4-].[Na+]>C(O)C.[Cl-].[Na+].O>[N+:1]([C:4]1[CH:5]=[C:6]([CH:10]([CH3:13])[CH2:11][OH:12])[CH:7]=[CH:8][CH:9]=1)([O-:3])=[O:2]

Participants

Procedure

2-(3-Nitrophenyl)propanal (7.531 g) was dissolved in ethanol (100 ml), to which was then added sodium borohydride (1.9 g) under ice-cooling, followed by stirring at room temperature for one hour. Brine was added thereto, followed by extracting with ethyl acetate. The extract was washed with brine and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. A residue obtained by evaporating the solvent was purified by silica gel column, to give the title compound (6.275 g, 57.19% in 3 steps) as a brown oil.