Hydrogen Peroxide → 2-Butyl-5-formylimidazole

Participants

Reaction Steps

4.4 g of 2-n-butyl-5-hydroxymethylimidazole (crude starting material, 90.4 percent), 0.6 g of 5 percent platinum and 5 percent bismuth on activated carbon (comprising 61.3 percent water), 25.6 ml of 1N NaOH solution and 5 ml of methanol were heated to about 60° C. with stirring. At 60° to 64° C., 6.8 g of 15 percent strength aqueous H2O2 solution was added dropwise over the course of 45 min. The reaction mixture was then allowed to react for 15 min and then filtered. The pH of the filtrate was adjusted from 13.0 to 9.0 using 20 percent H2SO4, as a result of which a yellow suspension formed. This was cooled, and the crude product was able to be filtered off and/or extracted with methylene chloride. The reaction was monitored by GC analysis. The reaction yield was 94.5 percent (3.5 percent of starting material).

Provenance & Evidence