Diethyl phenylmalonate → 2-Phenyl-1,3-propanediol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Sodium dihydrogen phosphate (58.3 g) was added to a solution of 50 g of diethyl phenylmalonate in 350 ml of ethanol. The mixture was cooled to 5-7° C. and a solution of 16.7 g of sodium borohydride in 38 ml of 0.2% NaOH was gradually added. The mixture was stirred for additional 2 hours and the Ethanol was distilled out. The reaction was quenched by adding 132 ml of water followed by heating to 50° C.-60° C. for 2 hours. The solution was then basified with 50% NaOH and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed with water and evaporated to dryness. The precipitate was crystallized from toluene. 20 g of 2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol was obtained with a yield of 63%.

Provenance & Evidence