Ethyl β-phenyl-β-hydroxypropionate (CAS NO.: ), which is also known as propanoic acid, β-hydroxy-, ethyl ester, could be produced through the following synthetic routes.

In a clean, dry, 500-ml. three-necked flask, fitted with a mechanical stirrer, a 250-ml. separatory funnel, and a reflux condenser, the upper end of which is protected by a calcium chloride drying tube, is placed 40 g. (0.62 gram atom) of powdered zinc.

A solution of 83.5 g. (0.50 mole) of ethyl bromoacetate and 65 g. (0.61 mole) of benzaldehyde in 80 ml. of dry benzene and 20 ml. of absolute ether is placed in the separatory funnel. About 10 ml. of this solution is added to the zinc, and the flask is warmed until the reaction starts. The mixture is then stirred and the rest of the solution added at such a rate that the reaction mixture refluxes, care being taken that the reaction does not become too vigorous. The addition should take about an hour. The reaction mixture is refluxed for 30 minutes on a water bath after the addition of the solution is complete.

The flask is then cooled in an ice bath and the reaction mixture hydrolyzed by the addition of 200 ml. of cold 10% sulfuric acid with vigorous stirring during the addition. The acid layer is drawn off and the benzene solution extracted twice with 50-ml. portions of 5% sulfuric acid. The benzene solution is washed once with 25 ml. of 10% sodium carbonate solution, then with 25 ml. of 5% sulfuric acid, and finally with two 25-ml. portions of water. The combined acid solutions are extracted with two 50-ml. portions of ether, and the combined ether and benzene solutions are dried with 5 g. of magnesium sulfate or Drierite. The solution is filtered, the solvent removed by distillation at atmospheric pressure from a steam bath, and the residue fractionated under reduced pressure. The ester is collected at 151–154°/11–12 mm. (128–132°/5–7 mm.). The total yield is 59–62 g. (61–64%).