In industrial applications, (1-bromonaphth-4-yl)methanol is mainly used to synthesize dyes, fragrances, and pesticides.
(1-Bronaphthalen-4-yl)methanol is a white crystal or crystalline powder, and has good solubility in organic solvents such as alcohol and ether, but is insoluble in water.
Methyl (4-bromo-1-naphthyl) acetate (14.97 g, 53.63 mmol) and sodium hydroxide (3.22 g, 80.4 mmol) were stirred in methanol (50 ml)-water (30 ml)-tetrahydrofuran (30 ml) for 30 min at room temperature. The reaction solution was concentrated, diluted with water and extracted twice with ethyl acetate. The collected organic layer was dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure. The crude product obtained was purified by silica gel column chromatography (hexane/ethyl acetate = 3/1-2/1) and the target substance was crystallized from ethyl acetate-hexane. The yield of white crystals was 11.77 g in 93% yield.
