A Convenient and Environmentally Benign Method of Reducing Aryl Ketones or Aldehydes by Zinc Powder in an Aqueous Alkaline Solution

• Published in: Chinese journal of chemistry Vol. 25; no. 5; pp. 653 - 660
• Main Author: 张超智 杨辉 吴德林 陆国元
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.05.2007; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley
• Subjects: aryl ketone; Chemistry; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; mechanism; methylene derivative; Physical Sciences; reduction; Science & Technology; zinc powder; 常规方法; 环境友好法; 碱性水溶液; HYDROCARBONS; zinc powder; STEREOCHEMISTRY; methylene derivative; ALCOHOLS; DENSITY; MAGNESIUM-METHANOL; DEHYDRATION; reduction; mechanism; ALPHA,BETA-UNSATURATED ESTERS; EXCHANGE; DERIVATIVES; aryl ketone
• ISSN: 1001-604X; 1614-7065
• DOI: 10.1002/cjoc.200790122

A convenient and environmentally benign method for reducing the carbonyl group in hydroxy- and amino- 9,10-anthracenediones, ortho （or para） acyl phenols and acyl anilines to a methylene group by zinc powder in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was reported. Based on theoretical calculations using the density functional theory （DFT）, the mechanism of these reduction reactions was postulated. This mechanism can be applied to help predicting the reduced products of aryl ketones （or aldehydes） in an alkaline solution.