Methyl 2-fluoro-4-nitrobenzoate → (2-Fluoro-4-nitrophenyl)methanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a stirred solution of methyl 2-fluoro-4-nitrobenzoate (10.0 g, 49.7 mmol, 1 eq.) in methanol (100 mL) was added sodium borohydride (9.40 g, 248.7 mmol, 5 eq.) at RT and stirred for 4 h. The methanol was evaporated and the residue was diluted with ethyl acetate (50 mL×2) washed with water (50 mL) and brine (50 mL). The ethyl acetate layer was dried over Na2SO4, evaporated under vacuum to get (2-fluoro-4-nitrophenyl)methanol (8 g, 94%, off-white solid; TLC system: EtOAc/PE (3:7), Rf: 0.30).

Provenance & Evidence