[joe900]

WE USE SUCH A PROCEDURE TO OBTAIN 1-(3-nitrophenyl)ethanol:

2.15 g of 3-nitroacetophenone was dissolved in 30 ml of methanol in a ball-shaped flask (250 ml) equipped with condenser and the mixture was heated till the precipitate disappeared. Then the mixture was cooled in an ice bath. 0.61 g of sodium borohydride was added to the suspension and it was shaked for 15 minutes. 20 ml of distilled water was added and the mixture was heated for 30 minutes under condenser, then it was cooled and extracted two times with 30 ml of ether.

PLEASE, COULD YOU HELP ME, why we add water into the mixture and heat it for 30 min.? Is it connected with sodium borohydride? I think it is soluble in water, do we do this to get rid of rests of sodium borohydride?

Thanks!!

[joe900]

OR... in order to make the alcohol, the oxygen needs to pick up a proton (H+) from water?that is why we heat mixture with water?

[orgopete]

 The way I write the mechanism, the product is s borate ester. Why might heating with water be important?