Syntheses,spectroscopic and crystallographic characterizations of 4-nitrobenzyloxy derivatives and benzofurans from ortho-substituted benzaldehydes and 4-nitrobenzyl bromide

A series of benzyloxybenzaldehyde derivatives (1–3) were prepared by the reactions of 4-nitrobenzyl bromide with 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (vanillin), 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (o-vanillin) and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde. When the reaction time is quite long, benzofuran derivatives (4 and 5) were obtained by the reactions of ortho-hydroxyaldehydes with the 4-nitrobenzyl bromide. Condensation reactions among the three benzyloxybenzaldehyde derivatives (1–3) with 2-aminomethylfuran (furfurylamine) yielded the new imine compounds (6–8). The structures of these aldehydes (1–3), benzofuran derivatives (4 and 5) and imine compounds (6–8) were confirmed on the basis of elemental analyses, IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR and mass spectroscopy. The solid-state structures of compounds 4–6 were determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.