Formaldehyde → 1H-Benzotriazole-1-methanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

3-Fluoro-N-methylaniline was prepared from 3-fluoroaniline using a modified reductive amination. First, 1-hydroxymethylbenzotriazole was prepared by adding 37% aqueous formaldehyde to benzotriazole at 40° C. in a 1:1 ratio, then cooling to room temperature to precipitate the product. After filtration the hydroxymethylbenzotriazole (125 g) was heated to reflux in toluene with 3-fluoroaniline (92.2 g). Water was removed azeotropically using a Dean-Stark trap. After three hours, the mixture was cooled to room temperature, then refrigerated for several hours to complete precipitation. The white crystalline solid was filtered off, yielding 174.2 g (86.6%) of 1-(3-fluoroanilino)methyl)-1H-benzotriazole.

Provenance & Evidence