Benzaldehyde → Benzoin

Participants

Role	Name	HCID	Charge
Reactant	Benzaldehyde	HCID 240	500 g, 2 eq
Catalyst	Sodium Cyanide	HCID 8929	50 g
Solvent	Ethanol	HCID 702	625 mL
Solvent	Water	HCID 962	500 mL
Product	Benzoin	HCID 8400	—

Reaction Conditions

Time	30 min

95% ethanol and water; sodium cyanide; heated under reflux for 30 minutes.

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 625 mL of 95% ethanol, 500 mL of water, 500 g (4.7 mol) of pure benzaldehyde, and 50 g of sodium cyanide was heated under reflux and kept boiling for 30 minutes.

Workup

The mixture was cooled, filtered with suction, and washed with water. The crude benzoin was recrystallized from 95% ethanol for purification.

Safety & Regulations

The source procedure uses sodium cyanide and states that hazardous chemicals require trained handling and a prior risk assessment.

Provenance & Evidence

DOI	10.15227/orgsyn.001.0033
Source dataset	Adams, R.; Marvel, C. S. Benzoin. Organic Syntheses 1921, 1, 33; Coll. Vol. 1, 94 (1941).
Source note	Adams, R.; Marvel, C. S. Benzoin. Organic Syntheses 1921, 1, 33; Coll. Vol. 1, 94 (1941).