Question

Write note on Reimer-Tieman reaction.

Answer 1

Phenol is subjected to heating with chloroform in the presence of aqueous sodium hydroxide. Subsequently, acidification with dilute HCl yields salicylaldehyde (2-hydroxy benzaldehyde) as the principal product, which can be isolated from the p-isomer using steam distillation. The stability of the o-isomer is due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding.