Water → 2-(2-Phenoxyphenyl)ethanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 2-phenoxybenzaldehyde (535 mg) in tetrahydrofuran (5 ml), 0.326 ml of diiodomethane and 5.4 ml of methyllithium (1.0M diethyl ether solution) were added under ice-cooling, and the reaction solution was stirred at the same temperature for 30 minutes and then at room temperature for 1 hour. To the reaction solution was added water, and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with a saturated saline solution and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solvent was distilled off under reduced pressure to afford a crude product as a yellow oil. To a solution of the crude product in tetrahydrofuran (5 ml), 284 mg of sodium cyanoborohydride and 0.569 ml of trifluoroborane-diethyl ether complex were added under ice-cooling, and the reaction solution was stirred at the same temperature for 50 minutes. To the reaction solution was added a saturated saline solution, and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with a saturated saline solution and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solvent was distilled off under reduced pressure, and the residue obtained was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluent: hexane/ethyl acetate (95:5-50/50)) to afford the title compound as a colorless oil.

Provenance & Evidence