Hydrogen Peroxide → 4-Phenyl-2-indanone

Participants

Reaction Steps

A stirred solution of 53.2 ml of formic acid and 10.5 ml of 30% hydrogen peroxide was heated to 35° C., and 14.5 g (0.075 mole) of 7-phenyl-1H-indene was added dropwise causing the reaction mixture temperature to rise to 41° C. Upon complete addition the reaction mixture was allowed to cool to ambient temperature and was stirred for 16 hours. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure to give a residual semi-solid which was subjected to steam distillation in the presence of aqueous dilute sulfuric acid. The steam distillates were filtered to give 1.84 g of 4-phenyl-2-indanone; m.p. 133°-136° C. The nmr and the ir spectra were consistent with the proposed structure.

Provenance & Evidence