Birch reductions at room temperature with alkali metals in silica gel (Na2K-SG(I))

Partha Nandi; James L Dye; James E Jackson

doi:10.1021/jo900904f

Birch reductions at room temperature with alkali metals in silica gel (Na2K-SG(I))

J Org Chem. 2009 Aug 21;74(16):5790-2. doi: 10.1021/jo900904f.

Authors

Partha Nandi¹, James L Dye, James E Jackson

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.

PMID: 19583206
DOI: 10.1021/jo900904f

Abstract

Alkali metals in silica gel (the Na(2)K-SG(I) reagent) cleanly effect Birch reductions of substrates with at least two or more aromatic rings. The reaction conditions are alcohol-free, ammonia-free, and achieve excellent yields and high selectivities at room temperature.