A solution of
20.8 g. (0.1 mole) of benzalacetophenone (p. 78) (Note
1) in
150 cc. of c.p. ethyl acetate (Note
2) is placed in the reaction bottle of the catalytic reduction apparatus
(p. 61), and
0.2 g. of platinum oxide catalyst
(p. 463) is added. The apparatus is evacuated, then filled with
hydrogen, and the mixture shaken with
hydrogen until 0.1 mole has been absorbed. The time required is usually about fifteen to twenty-five minutes (Note
3). The
platinum is filtered off and the solvent removed from the filtrate by distillation. The
benzylacetophenone is recrystallized from about
25 cc. of alcohol and melts at
72–73°. The yield is
17–20 g. (
81–95 per cent of the theoretical amount).