Sodium Sulfate → 3,5-Dimethyl-4-(hydroxymethyl)isoxazole

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Reaction Steps

A suspension of 100 g. (2.63 moles) of lithium aluminum hydride in 2.5 liters of anhydrous ether was stirred under nitrogen as a solution of 272 g. (1.61 mole) of the 4-carboethoxy-3,5-dimethylisoxazole prepared in Example 1 above in 400 ml. of anhydrous ether was added at such a rate as to maintain a gentle reflux. The suspension was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen overnight, during which time an extremely gummy green-gray mass formed in the bottom of the flask. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and hydrolyzed with saturated aqueous sodium sulfate solution. Anhydrous sodium sulfate was added to dry the ether solution. The salts were removed by filtration and washed carefully with ether and chloroform. Solvent removal from the filtrates, finally at 50°/0.1 mm., gave a white crystalline mass. This was triturated with hot ether and then cooled. Filtration gave 3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-isoxazole as white prisms, m.p. 76.5°-77.5°. Concentration of the mother liquors gave a second crop of prisms, m.p. 76.5°-78°.

Provenance & Evidence