Formaldehyde → Diethyl 2-(hydroxymethyl)-2-phenylmalonate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Paraformaldehyde (720 mg) was suspended in diethyl phenylmalonate (4.73 g), and potassium hydroxide (catalytic amount) was added thereto at 60° C. After stirring for 1.5 hours, the reaction solution was purified by chromatograophy on silica gel (ethyl acetate:hexane=1:5 to 1:2) to give the title compound (4.96 g).

Provenance & Evidence