Dimethylformamide → (3-Ethylphenyl)methanol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

n-Butyllithium (34 ml of a 2.5M solution in hexanes) was added to a solution of 1-bromo-3-ethylbenzene (15 g) in tetrahydrofuran (320 ml) at −78° C. After 1 hour N,N-dimethylformamide (15 ml) was added. The mixture was stirred at −78° C. for 1 hour and allowed to warm to room temperature. The mixture was quenched with aqueous ammonium chloride and partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic phase was dried (MgSO4) and evaporated. The residue was dissolved in methanol (250 ml) and treated with sodium borohydride (1.51 g) portionwise. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours, quenched with 2M HCl (100 ml) and stirred for 4 hours. The mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue partitioned between ethyl acetate and 2M HCl. The organic phase was dried (MgSO4), evaporated and the residue purified by chromatography eluting with 5-10% ethyl acetate in isohexane.

Provenance & Evidence