2.3. Procedure for the Synthesis s of HMEO

Sodium borohydride (1.25 g, 9 mmol) was added portion wise to a solution of HMBD (1.961 g, 10 mmol) in 20 mL of methanol and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 h. The crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatograph (eluting with ethyl acetate/petroleum ether = 1:1) to afford 2-(4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy) ethan-1-ol (HMEO) with a yield of 81%.