[Synthesis]
General procedure for the synthesis of 4-((methylsulfonyl)methyl)benzaldehyde from 4-bromomethylbenzaldehyde and sodium methanesulfonate: a mixture of 4-bromomethylbenzaldehyde (100 mg, 0.503 mmol) and sodium methanesulfonate (56 mg, 0.553 mmol) in ethanol (5 mL) was heated to 100 °C and the reaction was carried out for 2 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was washed with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated to afford the target product 4-((methylsulfonyl)methyl)benzaldehyde as a white solid (85 mg, 85% yield). The structure of the product was confirmed by 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO): δ 10.01 (s, 1H), 7.93 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.62 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 4.62 (s, 2H), 2.93 (s, 3H). |