Alcohol reduction reaction

Ring-substituted benzyl alcohols, reduction reactions, 18... 

Reduction Reactions. Aldehydes can be hydrogenated to the corresponding alcohol using a heterogeneous catalyst, for example... 

CaniZZaro Reaction. Both 2- and 4-hydroxybenzaldehydes undergo this self-oxidation—reduction reaction, but much less readily than benzaldehyde the reaction requires metal catalysts such as nickel, cobalt, or silver to yield the corresponding hydroxybenzoic acids and hydroxybenzyl alcohols (47—48). 

Another method to hydrogenate butadiene occurs during an oxidation—reduction reaction in which an alcohol is oxidi2ed and butadiene is reduced. Thus copper—chromia or copper—2inc oxide cataly2es the transfer of hydrogen from 2-butanol or 2-propanol to butadiene at 90—130°C (87,88). 

Reduction. Coumarin is reduced to o-hydroxycinnamyl alcohol by reaction with lithium aluminum hydride (21). By reaction with diborane coumarin gives o-aUylphenol [1745-81 -9] (22). 

A remarkable feature of the Birch reduction of estradiol 3-methyl ether derivatives, as well as of other metal-ammonia reductions, is the extreme rapidity of reaction. Sodium and -butyl alcohol, a metal-alcohol combination having a comparatively slow rate of reduction, effects the reduction of estradiol 3-methyl ether to the extent of 96% in 5 minutes at —33° lithium also effects complete reduction under the same conditions as is to be expected. Shorter reaction times were not studied. At —70°, reduction with sodium occurs to the extent of 56 % in 5 minutes, although reduction with lithium is virtually complete (96%) in the same time. (The slow rates of reduction of compounds of the 5-methoxytetralin type is exemplified by 5-methoxy-tetralin itself with sodium and f-butyl alcohol reduction occurs to the extent of only 50% in 6 hours vs. 99+% with lithium.) The iron catalyzed reaction of sodium with alcohols must be very fast since it competes so well with the rapid Birch reduction. One cannot compensate for the presence of iron in a Birch reduction mixture containing sodium by adding additional metal to extend the reaction time. The iron catalyzed sodium-alcohol reaction is sufficiently rapid that the aromatic steroid still remains largely unreduced. 

Wohf-Kishner reductions of a,jS-epoxy ketones give allylic alcohols, thus providing a means of reversing the arrangement in a,jS-unsaturated ketones or allylic alcohols. The reaction as first described by Wharton proceeds very readily (at room temperature in some instances) and the addition of strong base is unnecessary for example, the reduction of the epoxy ketone 143. 

Acid halides are among the most reactive of carboxylic acid derivatives and can be converted into many other kinds of compounds by nucleophilic acyl substitution mechanisms. The halogen can be replaced by -OH to yield an acid, by —OCOR to yield an anhydride, by -OR to yield an ester, or by -NH2 to yield an amide. In addition, the reduction of an acid halide yields a primary alcohol, and reaction with a Grignard reagent yields a tertiary alcohol. Although the reactions we ll be discussing in this section are illustrated only for acid chlorides, similar processes take place with other acid halides. 

Conversion of Acid Chlorides into Alcohols Reduction Acid chlorides are reduced by LiAJH4 to yield primary alcohols. The reaction is of little practical value, however, because the parent carboxylic acids are generally more readily available and can themselves be reduced by L1AIH4 to yield alcohols. Reduction occurs via a typical nucleophilic acyl substitution mechanism in which a hydride ion (H -) adds to the carbonyl group, yielding a tetrahedral intermediate that expels Cl-. The net effect is a substitution of -Cl by -H to yield an aldehyde, which is then immediately reduced by UAIH4 in a second step to yield the primary alcohol. 

Conversion of Amides into Amines Reduction Like other carboxylic acid derivatives, amides can be reduced by LiAlH.4. The product of the reduction, however, is an amine rather than an alcohol. The net effect of an amide reduction reaction is thus the conversion of the amide carbonyl group into a methylene group (C=0 —> CTbV This kind of reaction is specific for amides and does not occur with other carboxylic acid derivatives. 

The most common reactions of carboxylic acid derivatives are substitution by water (hydrolysis) to yield an acid, by an alcohol (alcoholysis) to yield an ester, by an amine (aminolysis) to yield an amide, by hydride ion to yield an alcohol (reduction), and by an organometallic reagent to yield an alcohol (Grignard reaction). 

White-rot fungus has been used as a biocatalyst for reduction and alkylation. The reaction of aromatic -keto nitriles with the white-rot fungus Curvularia lunata CECT 2130 in the presence of alcohols afforded alkylation-reduction reaction [291]. Alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, butanol, and isobutanol could be used (Figure 8.39d). 

PROBLEMS Identify the starting ketone or aldehyde you would use to prepare each of the following alcohols through reduction reactions ... 

Recently, Somorjai, Yang et al. [143] examined this reaction over lwt.% Pt/SBA-15 utilizing an elaborate preparation protocol. Preformed Pt nanoparticle sols of five different mean sizes, obtained by alcohol reduction in the presence of a protecting polymer (PVP) were combined with SBA-15 silica exhibiting 9nm pores. After 3h low-power ultrasonic treatment, the Pt particles were evenly distributed throughout the pores of the support (Figure 12 (a)-(e)). 

On the other hand, one of the mildest chemical procedures is an alcohol reduction of metal salts in the presence of the protective agents [4,5]. The reaction proceeds according to the Equation (3). 

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