Sodium amalgam aldonolactones

Esters of fatty acids are only to some extent reduced to the alcohols by sodium amalgam. Aldonolactones and their esters, however, are reduced to aldoses by Na(Hg) [99]. Optimal conditions are found at pH 3-3.5 and temperatures below 15°C 2.5-3 atoms of Na [as 2.5% Na(Hg)] are used per mole of lactone. Yields of different aldoses range from 50 to 84% [100,101]. 

He himself found that aldonolactones could be reduced with sodium amalgam to the aldoses. Thus, the way was opened to proceed from any pentose to the next higher aldose, which, as he soon showed, always arose in two stereoisomeric forms because of the introduction of a new asymmetric center. Another novel method created was the epimerization of aldonic... 

N. Sperber, H. E. Zaugg, and W. M. Sandstrom, The controlled sodium amalgam reduction of aldonolactones and their esters to aldoses and an improved synthesis of D-arabinose, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 69 (1947) 915-920 and references cited therein. 

The use of sodium amalgam originates with E. Fischer. The method was a cornerstone of his aldose homologation (cyanohydrin formation, hydrolysis, lactone formation and reduction) which was so important to the development of carbohydrate chemistry. Although the yields obtained by Fischer were moderate ca. 20-50%), more recent work by Sperber et al. has resulted in significant improvements. In particular, they discovered that control of the pH of the reaction mixture was very important. At pH 3-3.5, yields in the range 52-82% were obtained with a variety of aldonolactones. As an example, the preparation of arabinose is shown in equation (4). If the pH was allowed to rise, yields were lower due to overreduction. Methyl esters of aldonic acids could also be used as substrates. 

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