Esters can be reduced to 1° alcohols using \(LiAlH_4\)
- Page ID
- 5919
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Esters can be converted to 1o alcohols using LiAlH4, while sodium borohydride (\(NaBH_4\)) is not a strong enough reducing agent to perform this reaction.
General Reaction
| Example 1: |
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Mechanism
1) Nucleophilic attack by the hydride
2) Leaving group removal
3) Nucleopilic attack by the hydride anion
4) The alkoxide is protonated
Contributors
Prof. Steven Farmer (Sonoma State University)