Carbon‐13 NMR studies of a series of benzylphenols

Carbon-13 NMR spectra of a series of benzylphenols and their O-alkylated derivatives were recorded to find the substituent effects of the benzyl, hydroxybenzyl and alkoxybenzyl groups on the 13C chemical shifts. It was found that the methylene bridge carbons show signal shifts mainly due to the mesomeric effects of the OH and OCH3 substituents, and that in the case of ortho-substituted benzyl compounds, the methylene carbon signals exhibit upfield shifts due to both mesomeric and steric effects.