Hydrochloric Acid → Methyl 2-(3-hydroxymethylphenoxy)propionate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Into 100 ml of methanol was dissolved 52 mg of sodium methoxide; the solution was cooled to 5° C. To the solution was added 1 g of methyl 2-(3-formylphenoxy)propionate was added; after adding 55 mg of sodium borohydride below 8° C. under stirring, the mixture was stirred for 2 hours at the same temperature. The reaction solution was poured into ice-cooled 2N hydrochloric acid and the mixture was extracted twice with diethyl ether. The organic layers were combined, washed once with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated under reduced pressure to give 0.921 g of methyl 2-[3-(hydroxymethyl)phenoxy]propionate.

Provenance & Evidence