Accelerated synthesis of substituted hydroxymethyl phenols

A process for the preparation of a compound of formula (I)

• wherein R is hydrogen, a straight or branched C1-C6 alkylcarbonyl group or a phenylcarbonyl group,
• or a salt thereof, comprising the following steps:
• a) forming a reaction mixture by adding to a suspension of Mg a compound of formula (II)
• R1(MgX)n.LiY (II)
• wherein n is 1 or 2;
• R1 is an aromatic, aliphatic, carbocyclic or heterocyclic organic group having 1 to 24 carbon atoms;
• X and Y are independently selected from Cl, Br and I,
• b) reacting the reaction mixture with a compound of formula (III)
• in a solvent to form a Grignard reagent,
• c) reacting the Grignard reagent with a linear, branched or cyclic carbonate to obtain a compound of formula (IV)
• wherein A is a linear, branched or cyclic C1-C6 alkyl group,
• and then further reacting the compound of formula (IV) to obtain a compound of formula (I) by reducing the ester to the corresponding methyl alcohol and (i) debenzylating the protected alcohol when R is hydrogen or (ii) debenzylating the protected alcohol and then carrying out phenolic monoacylation when R is C1−C6 alkylcarbonyl or phenylcarbonyl.