Methylamine, as solvent

A number of groups have reported one-electron reductions of amides to aldehydes. Most involve the use of ammonia or methylamine as solvent, with electrons provided electrochemically or by an alkali metal. It must be said, however, that none of the methods is sufficiently effective or general to be routinely useful. In one of the earlier procedures, due to Birch et al., the tertiary amides (24) to (26) were reduced to the corresponding aldehydes in 80%, 53% and 47% yields, respectively, using sodium in liq-... 

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