Synthesis
4-Acetamidobenzaldehyde (10 g, 61.3 mmol) was dissolved in methanol (100 mL) at room temperature, followed by batchwise addition of sodium borohydride (800 mg). The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and the reaction progress was monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC) using 4:1 hexane:ethyl acetate as eluent. Completion of the reduction reaction was indicated when TLC showed complete disappearance of the feedstock. Subsequently, the reaction mixture was concentrated using a rotary evaporator. The concentrated residue was partitioned between water (25 mL) and ethyl acetate (4 x 50 mL), and the organic layer was separated and washed with brine (25 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure to give the light yellow solid product N-[4-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]acetamide. The product was dried under high vacuum to give a final 8.6 g (85% yield). The structure of the product was confirmed by 1H NMR (DMSO-d6): δ 2.0 (s, 3H), 4.5 (d, 2H), 5.2 (t, 1H), 7.25 (d, 2H), 7.55 (d, 2H), 9.95 (s, 1H).
References
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[2] Chemical Communications, 2015, vol. 51, # 46, p. 9567 - 9570
[3] Organic Letters, 2017, vol. 19, # 13, p. 3656 - 3659
[4] Catalysis Science and Technology, 2013, vol. 3, # 1, p. 81 - 84
[5] Patent: US2007/149462, 2007, A1. Location in patent: Page/Page column 22
