Synthesis
Step A: To a stirred solution of methyl 3-bromomethylbenzoate (5 g, 21.8 mmol) in toluene (50 mL) was slowly added DABAL-H (43.6 mL, 43.6 mmol) under ice bath conditions. The reaction temperature was maintained at 0 °C with continuous stirring for 2 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, the reaction was quenched with 1N HCl solution and subsequently separated by extraction with ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and water. The organic layer was collected, dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) and concentrated under reduced pressure to give 3-bromomethylbenzyl alcohol (4.0 g, 19.9 mmol, 91% yield) as a colorless oil.
References
[1] Organometallics, 2015, vol. 34, # 9, p. 1627 - 1634
[2] Patent: WO2015/142903, 2015, A2. Location in patent: Page/Page column 94
[3] Patent: WO2015/140133, 2015, A1. Location in patent: Page/Page column 106
[4] Patent: WO2017/68064, 2017, A1. Location in patent: Page/Page column 191; 192
[5] Patent: EP2816023, 2014, A1. Location in patent: Paragraph 0488