Benzyl Alcohol → 4-(Benzyloxy)-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

Sodium hydride (60%, 1.80 g, 45 mmol) was added to a solution of 4-fluoro-3-trifluoromethyl benzoic acid (4.162 g, 20 mmol) and benzyl alcohol (3.25 g, 30 mmol) in DMSO (50 mL). The mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature, poured into water (50 mL) and acidified with concentrated hydrochloric acid. The white precipitate was filtered off, dissolved in ethyl acetate (ca 50 mL), dried over sodium sulphate and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was recrystallised from ethyl acetate/hexane. Yield: 4.252 g (72%). 1H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ=5.37 (s, 2H), 7.32-7.48 (m, 6H), 8.12 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.18 (dd, J=8.6, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 13.16 (br s, 1H, —COOH). LRMS (FAB+): 91.1 (100), 297.1 (18, [M+H]+).

Provenance & Evidence