The Regioselective 4-Benzylation of 2,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde

Abstract
A regioselective mono-benzylation of the 4-hydroxyl group of 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (2) to produce 1 under extremely mild basic conditions (NaHCO3 or KF) has been developed. This approach gives improved regioselectivity relative to earlier methods.