Reduction of Epoxides, Peroxides and Ozonides

Epoxides (oxiranes) can be reduced in different ways. So-called deoxygenation converts epoxides to alkenes. Such a reaction is very useful since it is the reversal of epoxidation of alkenes, and since both these reactions combined represent temporary protection of a double bond. 

More frequent than the deoxygenation of epoxides to alkenes is reduction of epoxides to alcohols. Its regiospecificity and stereospecificity depend on the reducing agents. 

Hydrogenolysis of epoxides to alcohols by catalytic hydrogenation over platinum requires acid catalysis. 1-Methylcyclohexene oxide was reduced to a mixture of cis- and /ranj-2-methylcyclohexanol [652]. Steroidal epoxides usually gave axial alcohols stereospecifically 4,5-epoxycoprostan-3a-ol afforded cholestan-3a,4/J-diol [652 ]. 

Reagents of choice for reduction of epoxides to alcohols are hydrides and complex hydrides. A general rule of regioselectivity is that the nucleophilic complex hydrides such as lithium aluminum hydride approach the oxide from the less hindered side [511, 653], thus giving more substituted alcohols. In contrast, hydrides of electrophilic nature such as alanes (prepared in situ from lithium aluminum hydride and aluminum halides) [653, 654, 655] or boranes, especially in the presence of boron trifluoride, open the ring in the opposite direction and give predominantly less substituted alcohols [656, 657,658]. As far as stereoselectivity is concerned, lithium aluminum hydride yields trans products [511] whereas electrophilic hydrides predominantly cis products 

Sterically hindered epoxides are sometimes easier to reduce by dissolving metals 2-methyl-2,3-epoxybutane gave, after treatment with lithium in ethylenediamine at 50° for 1 hour, 74% of 3-methyl-2-butanol and 8% of 2-methyl-2-butanol [659.  

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