Selective Reduction of Organic Compounds with Non-Free Hydride Reducing Agents

A series of non-free hydride reducing systems containing boron or aluminum atom, which possess no metal-hydride bond but an available hydrogen at a branched ${\beta}$-position, has been applied to the selective reduction (chemo--, regio-, and stereoselective reduction) of organic compounds. The systems, comprised of diisopinocampheylborane and diisobutylalane derivatives, exhibited almost perfect selectivities in the reduction of aldehydes and ketones. The characteristics features of this systems leading to a perfect transformation have been depicted in this report, especially in the 1) Reduction of ${\alpha}$,${\beta}$-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds to Allylic Alcohols via 1,2-Reduction, 2) Chemoselective Reduction between Structurally Different Carbonyl Compounds, and 3) Stereoselective Reduction of Cyclic Ketones.