Choline chloride based deep eutectic solvent as an efficient solvent for the benzylation of phenols

Deep eutectic solvents (such as the combination of urea and choline chloride) are found to be promising solvent and phase-transfer-media for benzylation of phenol. These methods avoided the complexity of multiple alkylations giving selectively O-alkylated aromatic products. Good to excellent yields of the corresponding benzyl phenyl ether were obtained. The non-toxic, biodegradable, inexpensive, and recyclable nature of DES make this protocol green and cost-effective.