2-Chloroethanol → [4-(2-Hydroxyethoxy)phenyl](phenyl)methanone

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 4-hydroxybenzophenone (6.0 g, 29.7 mmol) in acetone (50 mL) were added K2CO3 (12.3 g, 89.0 mmol) and 2-chloroethanol (4.0 mL, 59.3 mmol), followed by addition of NaI (4.50 g, 29.7 mmol). The reaction mixture was refluxed under nitrogen overnight. The mixture was cooled to room temperature. The white solid was filtered off and washed with acetone (100 mL). The filtrate was concentrated to a brown oil residue with some white solid. EtOAc (200 mL) was added, the white solid was filtered off and then washed with 50 mL of EtOAc. The filtrate was washed with 1 N NaOH, water, brine and dried over Na2SO4. Concentration afforded a pale yellow oil which was further purified by chromatography on a silica gel column eluted with a gradient from hexanes to 60% EtOAc:hexanes to give 5 as a white solid (1.52 g, 21%). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 4.00-4.05 (m, 2H), 4.15-4.20 (m, 2H), 6.98 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 2H), 7.45-7.50 (m, 2H), 7.55-7.60 (m, 1H), 7.75 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 2H), 7.83 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H).

Provenance & Evidence