Chemoselective Reduction of Aldehydes

Sodium Tris(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropoxy)borohydride (1) is a selective reducing agent developed by Toshima et al. Aldehydes are selectively reduced in the presence of ketones and other reducible functions using 1 to afford the corresponding primary alcohols in high yields. This is a useful method for reduction of aldehydes because it does not require the addition of other reagents and the reaction is very simple and convenient. As reduction reactions of carbonyl groups are very important steps in organic synthesis, this method should find wide application in both academia and industry.