Water → Methyl 2'-cyano-5-(hydroxymethyl)-4'-methylbiphenyl-3-carboxylate

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Reaction Steps

A solution of dimethyl 2′-cyano-4′-methylbiphenyl-3,5-dicarboxylate (343 mg, 1.05 mmol) in methanol (20 mL) was cooled at 0° C. and sodium tetrahydroborate (0.60 g, 16 mmol) was added slowly. The mixture was stirred at rt for 6 h, and then treated with water (20 mL). The volatiles were removed in vacuo and the acqueous phase was extracted with CH2Cl2 (30 mL×3). The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over anhydrous MgSO4, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by flash chromatography to afford the title compound.

Provenance & Evidence