Home > Organic Chemistry > Quick Introduction of Structures

How can you reduce imines?

Answer 1

How do you reduce anything....?

The most convenient means is likely heating at reflux with lithal in THF...there are all sort of hydride transfer agents...including dihydrogen. Probably the most potent is #LiAlH_4#, which can transfer up to four equiv of hydride. Most organic chemists use this 1:1. And so water work-up is problematic if the reagent is used in multigram quantities.

In preparative chemistry with molar quantities of substrate it is often useful to treat #LiAlH_4# as capable of delivering THREE hydrides, and adjust the molar equivalence proportionally (just to note that the PURE reagent could deliver FOUR hydrides). Water workup at the end of the reaction is then not so hair-raising.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Skylar Alexander

Imines can be reduced using a variety of reagents, such as sodium cyanoborohydride (NaBH3CN), sodium borohydride (NaBH4), or hydrogen gas (H2) over a catalyst like palladium on carbon (Pd/C).

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.