A new method for coupling aromatic aldehydes and ketones to produce. alpha.-glycols using zinc-zinc dichloride in aqueous solution and in the solid state

K Tanaka, S Kishigami, F Toda

Index: Tanaka, Koichi; Kishigami, Satoshi; Toda, Fumio Journal of Organic Chemistry, 1990 , vol. 55, # 9 p. 2981 - 2983

Full Text: HTML

Citation Number: 75

Abstract

1 2 3 carried out without using solvent, more a-glycol was pro-duced than in solution. For example, when a mixture of la, Zn, and ZnCl, was kept at room temperature for 3 h, 3a was obtained in 46% yield. Similar treatment of ben-zaldehyde derivatives lb-f gave 2b-f and 3b-f in the yields shown in Table I. In all cases except le, 2 is the main reaction product in aqueous solution, although 3 is always the main product in the solid state. Since the ...