4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol also called p-methoxybenzyl alcohol, anisy alcohol, is colourless to micro-yellow liquid under normal temperature and pressure, 24 ℃ of fusing points, 259 ℃ of boiling points. 4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol has sweet fruital like peach fragrance, and fragrance is soft lasting, can be used for high-grade cigarette, the allotment of food flavor(ing).

Uses

4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol is commonly used as a reagent to protect hydroxyl groups on alcohols, and phenols. 

4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol also has important application in field of fine chemical, is the essential raw material of producing another kind of senior spices acetic acid fennel ester.

It is the raw material for the synthesis of medicine, the important organic intermediate para methoxy phenyl acetonitrle of agricultural chemicals.

Synthesis

A method for preparing p-methoxybenzyl alcohol from p-methoxy toluene: adding p-methoxy toluene, a catalyst I and a solvent to an oxidation reaction kettle; charging oxygen; recovering the solvent after the oxidation reaction, and recycling optionally; washing with water to remove the catalyst I so as to obtain an organic phase I and a water phase I; adding aqueous alkali to the organic phase I; agitating; standing to separate out a water phase II for recycling optionally, so as to obtain an organic phase II; distilling the water phase I to recover water, and recycling optionally; supplementing the catalyst I and the solvent to distilling leaves, and recycling in oxidization reaction optionally; feeding the organic phase II to a hydrogenation kettle; adding a solvent and a catalyst II to hydrogenate until hydrogen is not absorbed; cooling; performing suction filtration to recover the catalyst II, and recycling optionally; recovering the solvent from the filtrate; then rectifying the filtrate to obtain p-methoxybenzyl alcohol.