Sodium hydride → Ammonium Hydroxide

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 3-phenoxyaniline (10.9 g, 58.8 mmol) in 100 mL of cyclohexane was added solid NaH (60% in mineral oil, 1.96 g, 49 mmol). Then 3-trifluoromethoxybenzyl bromide (10.0 g, 39.2 mmol) was added dropwise under a nitrogen atmosphere, and the mixture was heated to reflux for 18 h, at which time TLC analysis indicated that no 3-trifluoromethoxybenzyl bromide remained. The reaction miure was cooled to room temperature and quenched with water, then extracted with ether. The ether layer was washed with water and brine, then dried over MgSO4, and evaporated to give crude product. The crude product was purified by flash column chromatography on silica gd eluting with 1:7:0.01 of ethyl acetate:hexane:ammonium hydroxide to give the desired N-benzylaniline product, which contained a small portion of dibenzylated amine. This product was further purified by conversion to the corresponding HCl salt to give 11.0 g (73%) of the desired N-(3-phenoxyphenyl)-N-[(3-trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]methyl]amine hydrochloride product. HRMS calcd. for C20H16NO2F3: 360.1211 [M+H]+, found 360.1208.

Provenance & Evidence