4-Cyanobenzaldehyde → p-Cyanobenzyl alcohol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a mixture of 4-cyanobenzaldehyde (5.00 g) in ethanol (50 mL) and tetrahydrofuran (20 mL) was added sodium borohydride (2.16 g) under ice-water cooling, and the mixture was stirred for an hour at 0° C. After evaporation of the solvent, the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The separated organic layer was washed with water and brine, dried over magnesium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo to give 4-cyanobenzyl alcohol (4.76 g) as a colorless oil.

Provenance & Evidence