2,4-Dimethylbenzoic acid → 2,4-Dimethylbenzyl alcohol

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Reaction Steps

2,4 dimethylbenzoic acid (10 g; 66.6 mmol) in dry tetrahydrofuran (250 ml) was cooled to 0° C. and treated with a solution of diborane in tetrahydrofuran (135 ml of a 1.0M solution). The reaction mixture was stirred overnight before quenching with 1N HCl and extraction of the product into ethyl acetate. The organic phase was dried (MgSO4) and freed of solvent. The crude product was filtered through a plug of silica, eluting with 10% ethyl acetate in hexane, to obtain 8.62 g (95%) of the alcohol as a clear oil. 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ2.30, 2.32 (s, 6H total); 4.63 (d, 2H); 6.99 (m, 2H); 7.23 (d, 1H). IR (neat): 3338, 2921, 1504, 1453, 1378, 1240, 1039, 1005, 820 cm-1.

Provenance & Evidence