4-(Diethoxymethyl)benzaldehyde → 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzaldehyde

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a cold (0° C.) solution of 4-(diethyoxymethyl)benzaldehyde (5.2 g, 24 mmol) in MeOH (50 mL) was added NaBH4 (0.93 g, 24 mmol), and the reaction mixture was stirred for 3 hours. The MeOH was removed and the residue was taken up in DCM and diluted with water. The aqueous layer was extracted with DCM (3×50 mL). The combine organic layers were dried, filtered and concentrated. The crude oil was dissolved in MeOH (50 mL) and cooled to 0° C. To this was added 2N HCl (10.0 mL) in ether. The reaction mixture was left at room temperature for 24 hours. The MeOH was removed and the crude product was purified by flash column chromatography, eluting with EtOAc/Hexane (3:7) to yield 2.92 g of 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzaldehyde (11) as a colorless oil.

Provenance & Evidence