Sodium Hydride Catalyzed Tishchenko Reaction

A convenient and practical method for the dimerization of aldehydes is described. The conversion of aromatic and even heteroaromatic aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of sodium hydride leads to the corresponding Tishchenko esters in high yields (up to 95 %). The reaction can be performed under standard laboratory conditions and on a multigram scale (up to 10 g).