2,3-Dichlorobenzaldehyde → 2,3-Dichlorobenzyl alcohol

Participants

Reaction Steps

To 2,3-dichlorobenzaldehyde (500 g, 2.85 mole) in methanol (3.5 liters) was added an alkaline solution of sodium borohydride (113.5 g, 2.975 mole) in 0.2N sodium hydroxide solution (241 ml) over a period of 1 hour. After 2 hours the reaction mixture was quenched into water (3.7 liters) and the pH was adjusted to pH 6 using glacial acetic acid (125 ml). Filtration afforded 2,3-dichlorobenzyl alcohol as a white solid (467 g, 92% yield).

Provenance & Evidence