How is benzoic acid converted to
Benzyl alcohol

Explanation

To convert benzoic acid to benzyl alcohol, we can follow a two-step process involving the formation of an acid chloride followed by reduction. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the reaction:

### Step 1: Conversion of Benzoic Acid to Benzoyl Chloride
1. **Starting Material**: Begin with benzoic acid (C6H5COOH).
2. **Reagent**: Use thionyl chloride (SOCl2) as the reagent.
3. **Reaction**: When benzoic acid reacts with thionyl chloride, the hydroxyl group (-OH) of the carboxylic acid is replaced by a chlorine atom (-Cl). This reaction also produces sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) as byproducts.
4. **Product Formation**: The product formed is benzoyl chloride (C6H5COCl).

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