Formaldehyde → 2-Nitrophenethyl alcohol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

KOH (21 mg, 0.37 mmol) was added to a mixture of o-nitrotoluene (9.2 g, 67 mmol) and paraformaldehyde (0.8 g, 25 mmol) in DMSO (10 ml, synthesis quality, additionally dried for 2 d over molecular sieve 4 Å) which was then stirred for 2.5 h at 95° C. The solvent was removed and the residue purified by column chromatography (SiO2, 20×3 cm, solvent: toluene 750 ml, toluene/EtOAc 10:1 500 ml, 7:1 500 ml, 5:1 500 ml). 2-(2-nitrophenyl)ethanol (2.33 g, 21%) was obtained as a yellow oil.

Provenance & Evidence