Phenaglycodol (brand names Acalmid, Acalo, Alterton, Atadiol, Felixyn, Neotran, Pausital, Remin, Sedapsin, Sinforil, Stesil, Ultran)[2] is a drug described as a tranquilizer or sedative which has anxiolytic and anticonvulsant properties.

[5][6] p-Chloroacetophenone and potassium cyanide (KCN) are reacted together via a Strecker reaction to give the corresponding cyanohydrin (3).

The amide group is then further hydrolyzed with a second equivalent of water in concentrated lye to give p-chloroatrolactic acid (5).

Finally, nucleophilic addition with methylmagnesium iodide give phenaglycodol (7) crystals.

[7][8] In a second method, a mixed pinacol coupling reaction between para-chloroacetophenone and acetone that was catalyzed by magnesium activated with a small amount of trimethylsilyl chloride gave a 40% yield of phenglycodol.