3-Phenoxybenzoic acid → 3-Phenoxybenzyl alcohol

Participants

Reaction Steps

After filtering off the catalyst, the filtrate (reaction mixture), which consists of an organic phase containing the 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde and an aqueous-alkaline phase containing the 3-phenoxy-benzoic acid is extracted with ether. After drying the combined ether extracts over sodium sulphate and stripping off the ether under nitrogen, 9.4 g of a residue which, according to analysis by gas chromatography, contains 96.9% of 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde and 1.3% of still unreacted 3-phenoxy-benzyl alcohol remain. This gives a 3-phenoxy-benzyl alcohol conversion of 98.8%, a 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde yield of 93% of theory and a selectivity for 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde of 94%.

Provenance & Evidence