Ethanol → 2-Cyano-3-hydroxymethylthiophene

Participants

Reaction Steps

3.47 g (91.8 mmol) of sodium borohydride were added in portions to a suspension of 12.6 g (91.8 mmol) of 2-cyano-4-formylthiophene in 200 ml of ethanol, and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h, during which it slowly formed a clear solution. The residue after concentration under reduced pressure was taken up in ethyl acetate and washed successively with saturated brine, 5% strength citric acid and saturated brine, and the organic phase was dried with sodium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure to result in 11.7 g of almost pure product (yield 91.5%).

Provenance & Evidence