Top topic this week
Questions asked by users might not always be phrased in the clearest way.
1) Convert the phenol ring to a benzyl halide using thionyl chloride (SOCl2) or phosphorus tribromide (PBr3).
2) React the benzyl halide with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to form the corresponding benzyl alcohol.
3) Oxidize the benzyl alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde using potassium permanganate (KMnO4) or chromic acid (H2CrO4).
4) Reduce the aldehyde to the corresponding alcohol using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) or lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4).
The resulting compound would be 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol.