Water → 2-(3-Hydroxyphenyl)acetonitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 2-(3-methoxyphenyl)acetonitrile (2 g; 13.59 mmol) in 13 mL of dry dichloromethane (DCM) cooled at 0° C. under an inert atmosphere, a 1M solution of BBr3 in DCM (28.54 mmol; 28.54 mL) is slowly added dropwise. The mixture is stirred at room temperature for 20 hours. The reaction mixture is then poured into ice, water is added and the organic phase is extracted three times with dichloromethane, washed with brine and dried over anhydrous Na2SO4. After evaporation, the crude mixture is purified by flash-chromatography on silica gel using petroleum ether/EtAc (80/20) as an eluant, affording 1.28 g (71%) of 2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)acetonitrile.

Provenance & Evidence