Nickel benzoate reduction

Reduction of derivatives of ally lie alcohols. Nickel boride can effect reduction of allylic alcohols to alkenes, but yields are generally improved by reduction of the acetates, benzoates, or trifluoroacetates.1 Reduction of allylic benzyl ethers to alkenes is effected in higher yield with Raney nickel. Methyl ethers are not reduced by either reagent. The trimethylsilyl ethers of allylic alcohols are reduced to alkenes by nickel boride in diglyme.2... 

The keto group of a keto ester may be preferentially reduced by catalytic hydrogenation. Excellent yields of hydroxy esters are obtained. Copper-chromium oxide catalyst has been employed in the preparation of methyl p-(a-hydroxyethyl)-benzoate and several aliphatic -hydroxy esters. The last compounds have also been made by hydrogenation over nickel catalysts.Substituted mandelic esters are prepared by catalytic reduction of aromatic a-keto esters over a palladium catalyst. Similarly, platinum oxide and copper-chromium oxide have been used in the aliphatic series for the preparation of the a-hydroxy diester, diethyl... 

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