Olefins Conjugated to Carbonyl, Nitrile, Nitro

Microcrystalline white powder when pure gray when aluminum impurity present. Monoclinic crystals, d 0.92. Stable in dry air at room temperature, decomp above 125, slowly loses hydrogen at 120. decomp in moist air. may ignite on grinding in air. Solv (parts/100 parts solvent) 30 (ether) 13 (tetrahydrofuran) 10 (dimethylcellosolve) 2 (dibutyl ether) 0.1 (dioxane). Reacts rapidly with water and alcohols reduces aldehydes, ketones, acid chlorides and esters to alcohols nitriles to amines aromatic nitro compounds to azo compounds. Does noi at lack olefinic double bonds unless they are conjugated with a phenyl group and a carbonyl or nitrile group. 

---