Ethanol → 3-(3'-Cyano-2'-hydroxypropyl)-benzhydrol

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 11.97 g of 3-(3'-chloro-2'-hydroxypropyl)-benzhydrol, 120 ml of ethanol, 2.4 ml of water and 2.66 g of potassium cyanide was refluxed for 3 hours and then evaporated to dryness. The residue was taken up in 200 ml of methylene chloride and the organic phase was washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate, treated with activated carbon, filtered and evaporated to dryness. The residue was chromatographed over silica and was eluted with a 75-25 methylene chloride-ethyl acetate mixture which was evaporated to obtain 7.8 g of 3-(3'-cyano-2'-hydroxypropyl)-benzhydrol in the form of an orange amorphous solid soluble in chloroform and insoluble in water.

Provenance & Evidence