5-Methoxyindole-3-carbaldehyde → (5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)methanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of sodium borohydride (2 grams, 0.05 mol) in methanol (15 ml), a solution of 5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-carboxaldehyde 2 (1 gram, 0.006 mol) dissolved in THF (20 ml) and methanol (15 ml) were combined and stirred at ambient temperature for 16 hours. The reaction was diluted with water and potassium carbonate (to saturation) and stirred to quench unreacted sodium borohydride. Diethyl ether was used to extract the product from the quenched solution. Following layers separation, the aqueous layer was further extracted (2×) with diethyl ether. The combined organic pats were dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to dryness to yield a light colored solid 141 (736 mg, 70%).

Provenance & Evidence