Hydrochloric Acid → 1-[4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethan-1-ol

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Reaction Steps

Magnesium (3.71 g/0.153 mol) was placed into a flask of the egg-plant type, followed by the replacement of air by nitrogen and addition of 30 ml of ether. While gently stirring the mixture, a solution of methyl iodide (24.4 g/0.172 mol) in ether (20 ml) was slowly added dropwise to the mixture, and the resulting mixture was refluxed with heating for 30 minutes. The mixture was cooled to room temperature, and a solution of 4-trifluoromethylbenzaldehyde (25.1 g/0.144 mole) in ether (20 ml) was slowly added dropwise to the mixture. The mixture was refluxed with heating for 2 hours, 30 ml of water was added dropwise to the mixture with ice cooling, and hydrochloric acid (2N) was further added until the aqueous layer became transparent. The aqueous layer was separated from an ethereal layer, the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether, and the ethereal layers were combined, and the combined layer was washed with an aqueous solution of common salt three times. After removal of ether, the layer was distilled at a reduced pressure, giving 1-(1-hydroxylethyl)-4-trifluoromethylbenzene [compound (I)] represented by the formula CF3C6H4CH(OH) CH3, b.p. 53°~55° C. (50.5 Pa), colorless transparent liquid, yield 98.3%.

Provenance & Evidence