Question

All academic manuscripts (journal articles, communications, etc.) have an introduction as a way to introduce the reader to the scientific problem that the paper addresses and describe the purpose of the experiment and also what has been done by others to give the reader some context. Write a 200-400 word introduction to carbonyl reduction reactions. You should find two recent (within the last three years) examples of carbonyl reduction reactions in journals and introduce those articles in your introduction. Please include screenshots of the article title and authors and the reaction where the reduction is shown. Carbonyl reductions don’t have to involve sodium borohydride. Be sure to provide accurate citations and figure captions.

Not looking for the screenshots or journals but instead a better understanding of carbonyl reductions

Answer 1

Typical carbonyl compounds are ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, esters, and acid halides. Carbonyl reduction is the organic reduction of any carbonyl group by a reducing agent.

Carboxylic acids, esters, and acid halides can be reduced to either aldehydes or a step further to primary alcohols, depending on the strength of the reducing agent. Aldehydes and ketones can be reduced respectively to primary and secondary alcohols.

Common reducing agents are Metal hydrides. Catalytic hydrogenationis also an important method of reducing carbonyls. Esters are reduced by the Bouveault–Blanc reduction, employing a mixture of sodium metal in the presence of alcohols.

Bouveault–Blanc reduction

Carboxylic acid derivatives, aldehydes, and ketones to alcohols

1) Hydride reduction -  Nucleophilic addition reaction.

-  the alkali metal cation, especially Li⁺, activates the carbonyl group by coordinating to the carbonyl oxygen, thereby enhancing the electrophilicity of the carbonyl.

- For reductions of carboxylic acid derivatives, after reduction by an aluminium hydride ion, an elimination leads to the aldehyde product

- For reductions of aldehydes and ketones, an aluminium hydride ion reduces the compound to form an alkoxide salt. After the complete reduction, the alkoxide is protonated to give the alcohol product:

2) Using metal hydrides - Reducing agent DIBAL-H (Diisobutylaluminium hydride).

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