Methanol → 4-Hydroxy-1-phenyl-1-pentanone

Participants

Reaction Steps

A 100-ml stainless steel autoclave purged with nitrogen in advance was charged with 5 g (0.0284 mol) of 5-phenyl-2,5-pentanedione and 10 ml of methanol. A solution of 0.2 g (0.142 mmol) of [RuI(p-cymene)((R)-T-BINAP)]I3 in 2 ml of methylene chloride was added thereto, thereby conducting reaction at a reaction temperature of 50° C. for 40 hours under a hydrogen pressure of 50 kg/cm2. After distilling off the solvent, the residue was purified by column chromatography on a silica gel using a developing solvent of hexane/ethyl acetate (5/1) to obtain 4.5 g of (-)-4-hydroxy-1-phenylpentane-1-one (yield: 90.0%).

Provenance & Evidence