Dimethylformamide → Benzyl 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzoate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Benzyl bromide (7.8 mL, 66 mmol) was added to a suspension of 4-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid (10 g, 66 mmol) and cesium carbonate (11 g, 33 mmol) in a mixed solvent (DMF (100 mL)-methanol (30 mL)-water (30 mL)), and then the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. Water (500 mL) was added thereto, the whole was extracted with ethyl acetate (500 mL), and then the organic layer was washed with saturated aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution (300 mL) twice and water (300 mL) twice. The organic layer was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and then the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure. The resulting solid was collected by filtration with hexane, and dried at 35° C. under reduced pressure to give 13 g of the title reference compound as a white solid. (Yield 81%)

Provenance & Evidence