Ammonia → [4-(2-Chloroethoxy)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-5-methoxyphenyl]methanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution of 14.0 g of the 2-[(acetyloxy)methyl]-4-(2-chloroethoxy)-5-methoxybenzyl acetate in 600 mL of methanol is stirred and cooled in an ice bath while ammonia gas is bubbled in, until the solution is saturated. The flask is stoppered and stored in the refrigerator for 15 hours. The reaction mixture is evaporated to give a white solid which is dried and chromatographed on a silica gel column eluting with 2:1 hexanes/ethyl acetate, to give 9.87 g of [4-(2-chloroethoxy)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-5-methoxyphenyl]methanol as a white solid, m.p. 93-4° C.

Provenance & Evidence