3-Methoxy-4-propoxybenzaldehyde → (3-Methoxy-4-propoxyphenyl)methanol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Crude 4-(propyloxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (2.55 g) was dissolved in EtOH (30 mL) and cooled to 0° C. NaBH4 (0.499 g, 13.2 mmol) was added portionwise. After the addition was completed, the ice-water bath was removed and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. Water (50 mL) was added and the resulting mixture was extracted with diethyl ether (3×100 mL). The combined organic layers were dried over anhydrous MgSO4. Removal of the solvent gave a pale yellow oil which was purified by silica gel column chromatography (hexanes/EtOAc, 4:1) to give 4-(propyloxy)-3-methoxybenzyl alcohol (2.38 g, 92% over two steps) as a colorless oil.

Provenance & Evidence