To 1-(2-hydroxy-4-(methoxymethoxy)phenyl)ethanone (618 mg, 3.15 mmol) and 4-(benzyloxy)-3-(methoxymethoxy)benzaldehyde (816 mg, 3 mmol) in a 25-mL round-bottom flask under Ar atmosphere was added 2.5 mL of a freshly made 5% KOH in EtOH solution. The mixture was vigorously stirred at rt until it solidified and kept at rt for 6 days. It was taken up in ether (100 mL) and added 0.5 M HCl to pH=5, and stirred for 3 min. The mixture was washed with water (2×100 mL) and dried over MgSO4 and concentrated. The residue was chromatographed (hexane/EtOAc) to afford (E)-3-(4-(benzyloxy)-3-(methoxymethoxy)phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxy-4-(methoxymethoxy)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one as a clear oil (780 mg, 58%). MS (ESI) m/z 451 (M+H+).
