Hydrochloric Acid → 3-Fluoro-2-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxyphenol

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Reaction Steps

To a solution of 6.85 g of 6-fluoro-2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde [CAS No. 457628-15-8] in 200 ml of an ethanol:THF=1:1 mixed solvent there was added 1.52 g of sodium borohydride while cooling on ice. After stirring at room temperature for 30 minutes, 1N hydrochloric acid was added to the reaction mixture while cooling on ice. The organic layer was extracted with ethyl acetate and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The desiccating agent was filtered off, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give 3-fluoro-2-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxyphenol (6.1 g, crude product).

Provenance & Evidence