Salicyl Alcohol → Benzenemethanol, 2-(phenylmethoxy)-

Participants

Reaction Steps

151 g of potassium t-butoxide were added, whilst ice-cooling and stirring, to a solution of 152 g of salicyl alcohol in 600 ml of dimethylformamide, and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes; 160 ml of benzyl bromide were then added dropwise to the mixture. The reaction mixture was then stirred at a temperature of from 30° to 40° C. for 2 hours, after which it was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was washed twice, each time with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and concentrated by evaporation under reduced pressure. The oily residue thus obtained was subjected to column chromatography through silica gel, using a 5:1 by volume mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate as the eluent, to give 228.5 g (yield 87%) of 2-benzyloxybenzyl alcohol as a colorless oil.

Provenance & Evidence