Phenol → (2R, 3S)-3-phenoxy-3-phenylpropane-1,2-diol

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of phenol (9.4 g), NaOH (1.33 g) and water (6.6 ml) was heated on a boiling water bath until the mixture became homogeneous. (2R, 3R)-3-Phenylglycidol (5.0 g) was added in small portions over a period of 10 minutes and the mixture was heated with stirring on a boiling water bath for 1 hr. The mixture was poured into a solution of NaOH (3.99 g) in ice water (75 ml) and extracted with ether (50 ml) 2 times. The ether solution was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and the solvent distilled off to obtain a white solid. Recrystallization from methylene chloride gave white crystals (3.1 g) of (2R, 3S)-3-phenoxy-3-phenylpropane-1,2-diol.

Provenance & Evidence