General procedure for the synthesis of 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(p-tolyl)ethanol from p-toluylbenzaldehyde: 0.1 mL of a 1.0 M tetrahydrofuran solution of tetrabutylammonium fluoride was added to a 10 mL solution of THF containing 4-methylbenzaldehyde (1.2 g, 10 mmol) and TMSCF3 (1.8 mL, 12 mmol) at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was gradually warmed to room temperature and stirred continuously for 4 hours. Subsequently, the reaction mixture was treated with 12 mL of 1N HCl and stirring was continued overnight. After completion of the reaction, the product was extracted with ethyl acetate (3 x 20 mL). The organic layer was separated and dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate. Finally, the organic solvent was removed by evaporation to give 1.6 g of 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol in 86% yield.
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