A facile and chemoselectivity in synthesis of 4-chloro-N-(4-((1-hydroxy-2-methylpropan-2-yl)oxy)phenethyl)benzamide, the alcohol derivative of Bezafibrate

A facile method for the reduction of carboxylic acid group of Bezafibrate, an approved drug, is described. The selective reduction of carboxylic acid group to corresponding alcohol was carried out by activation of the carboxylic acid moiety via mixed anhydride followed by the addition of stoichiometric amount of NaBH(4) and methanol to obtain the first alcohol variant of Bezafibrate. The reaction was completed in 5–10 min in excellent yield and purity. The new alcohol derivative was characterized by spectroscopic methods. This is the first report on this new molecule.