Triethylamine → (1-Benzhydrylazetidin-3-yl)methanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

1-Benzhydryl-3-azetidinecarboxylic acid (3.12 g) was suspended in tetrahydrofuran (60 ml) and cooled under a nitrogen atmosphere in an ice-ethanol bath. Triethylamine (1.96 ml) was added dropwise, and a solution of ethyl chlorocarbonate (1.34 ml) in tetrahydrofuran (5 ml) was added dropwise over 20 min. After the dropwise addition, stirring was carried out at the same temperature for 30 min. The reaction mixture was filtered and washed with tetrahydrofuran (30 ml). The filtrate was added dropwise over 15 min to an aqueous (15 ml) solution of sodium borohydride (1.33 g) cooled in an ice water bath. Upon completion of the dropwise addition, the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature. To the reaction mixture was gradually added 1N hydrochloric acid (35 ml) to decompose excess sodium borohydride, and a 1N aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (35 ml) was added. This was extracted with ethyl acetate (100 ml). The organic layer was washed with brine, and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solvent was concentrated, and the residue was dried under reduced pressure to provide the titled compound as a pale brown solid (1.59 g, 54%).

Provenance & Evidence