Reducible Functional Groups Reductive Amination with Carboxylic Acids

Lithium aluminium hydride is a more powerful reducing agent than sodium borohydride and reduces most of the commonly encountered organic functional groups (see Table 7.3). It reacts readily with water and other compounds that contain active hydrogen atoms and must be used under anhydrous conditions in a non-hydroxylic solvent diethyl ether and THF are commonly employed. Lithium aluminium hydride has found widespread use for the reduction of carbonyl compounds. Aldehydes, ketones, esters, carboxylic acids and lactones can all be reduced smoothly to the corresponding alcohols under mild conditions. Carboxylic amides are converted into amines or aldehydes, depending on the conditions and on the... 

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