Benzaldehyde → 1-Hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-3-pentanone

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

50 mmol (5.1 ml) of benzaldehyde are added at -78° C. to the manganous enolate of diethyl ketone, prepared by the procedure described above. After stirring for 10 seconds at -78° C., the reaction medium is hydroIyzed by the dropwise addition of a saturated solution of (NH4)2SO4. After decantation, filtration on hyflo-supercel and evaporation of the solvents under vacuum, 5-phenyl-5-hydroxy-4-methylpentan-3-one is isolated by low pressure liquid chromatography on 15 μm silica gel using cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (90/10) as the eluent. Yield=72%. Erythro/threo=61/39.

Provenance & Evidence