The general procedure for the synthesis of 4-chlorophenyl acetaldehyde hydrate from α-bromo-4-chloroacetophenone was as follows: 4'-chloro-2-bromoacetophenone (25.0 g, 107 mmol), water (1.92 mL, 107 mmol), and 47% hydrobromic acid (0.20 mL) were dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (160 mL), and the reaction was stirred for 5 hr at 80 °C. Upon completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was poured into water and the precipitate precipitated was filtered, washed with diethyl ether and dried to give 4-chloro-2,2-dihydroxyacetylbenzene (14.0 g, yield not indicated). The product was characterized by 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) with chemical shifts of δ 5.92 (1H, s), 7.45-7.52 (2H, m), 8.05-8.20 (2H, m).
