The general procedure for the synthesis of 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)propionaldehyde from 2'-methoxycinnamaldehyde was as follows: a suspension of 2'-methoxycinnamaldehyde (1.00 g, 6.17 mmol) with Pd/C (131 mg, 0.20 mmol) in methanol (12 mL) was stirred and reacted for 2 h at room temperature. Upon completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was filtered through a diatomaceous earth pad and washed with dichloromethane. After combining the filtrates, the solvent was removed by concentration under reduced pressure. The resulting residue was purified by column chromatography (eluent: hexane/ethyl acetate, 3/1, v/v) to afford the target product 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)propionaldehyde.
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