2,6-Dinitrobenzaldehyde → (2,6-Dinitrophenyl)methanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution of 1.1 grams of sodium borohydride dissolved in 16 ml of 0.2N sodium hydroxide (temperature 10-23 degrees Centigrade) was dropwise added to a solution of 10 grams of 2,6-dinitrobenzaldehyde in 75 ml of methanol. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes. The methanol was then removed under vacuum and the water residue extracted several times with ether. The ether washings were dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered. After solvents were removed on a rotary evaporator under reduced pressure, the residue was recrystallized 3 times from a chloroform/carbon tetrachloride composition yielding 9.17 grams of 2,6-dinitrobenzyl alcohol.

Provenance & Evidence