The general procedure for the synthesis of 4-dodecylphenylethanol from ethyl-[2-(4-octylphenyl)]acetate was as follows: sodium methanol (195 mg, 3.61 mmol) was added to a methanol (MeOH, 10 mL) solution of ethyl 4-octylphenylacetate (500 mg, 1.81 mmol). The reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 6 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, the solvent was evaporated and the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and water. The organic layer was separated and washed with saturated saline (brine). The organic phase was dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), filtered and the solvent was evaporated to give 4-octylphenethyl alcohol (390 mg, 92% yield) as a yellow oil. The product was characterized by 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 0.88 (t, J = 6.8 Hz, 3H), 1.22-1.30 (m, 10H), 1.55-1.63 (m, 2H), 2.57 (t, J = 7.8 Hz, 2H), 2.83 (t, J = 6.6 Hz, 2H), 3.84 (t, J = 6.6 Hz , 2H), 7.11 (s, 4H).
