Formaldehyde → 1,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-2-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)imidazole

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 1,5-dimethyl-2-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)imidazole (0.6 g), aqueous formaldehyde (3.5 ml of 36%), sodium acetate (0.6 g), and acetic acid (0.5 ml) was refluxed for 24 hours. The mixture was cooled, and concentrated sodium hydroxide added until the mixture was just basic, keeping the temperature at about 10° C. The mixture was extracted with methylene chloride, and solvent removed from the organic layer under reduced pressure. The residue was flash-chromatographed on silica gel, eluting with methylene chloride containing methanol (97/3), to yield 0.4 g of 1,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-2-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)imidazole, m.p. 152° C.

Provenance & Evidence