o-Phenylenediacetic acid → 1,2-Benzenediethanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

Lithium aluminum hydride (0.332 mol) and tetrahydrofuran (THF, 175 mL) are placed in a dry 500-mL three-necked round-bottom flask fitted with a condenser, addition funnel, nitrogen inlet, and magnetic stirrer. The mixture is cooled with an ice bath and 1,2-phenylene diacetic acid (0.165 mol) in THF (100 mL) is added dropwise to the stirring mixture. After the addition is complete, the flask is removed from the ice bath and allowed to warm to room temperature. The reaction mixture is heated at reflux for two hours, then stirred overnight at room temperature. After cooling the mixture with an ice bath, water (12.6 mL) is added dropwise, followed by the successive dropwise addition of 15 percent aqueous sodium hydroxide (12.6 mL) and water (38 mL). The resulting mixture is warmed to room temperature, and the solids separated by vacuum filtration. The filtrate is placed on a rotary evaporator to remove the solvent. The remaining solid is recrystallized from toluene-hexane to give the 1,2-di(hydroxyethyl)benzene.

Provenance & Evidence