Water → 5-(benzyloxy)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one

Participants

Reaction Steps

Kojic acid (17.05 g, 0.120 mole) was suspended in methanol (170 ml), H2O (17 ml) and sodium hydroxide (5.14 g, 0.128 mole) added and the mixture allowed to stand. To the resulting solution, benzyl chloride (17.5 g, 0.138 mole) was added dropwise and the solution refluxed for 4.5 h. and cooled. The resulting brown solution was poured into 200 ml H+ /H2O. The precipitate was filtered and stored at 65° C. overnight to give 22.38 g of the title compound as a yellow crystalline solid (m.p. 128°-130° C.).

Provenance & Evidence