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Carbonyls, Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives

Reduction of Carbonyls with NaBH4

  • 3 things to know
  • Papers 2 and 3

Overview

Reduction to primary and secondary alcohols, and the nucleophilic addition mechanism.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What reducing agent is used to reduce aldehydes and ketones to alcohols?

Key term

What type of product is formed when an aldehyde is reduced with NaBH₄?

Key term

What type of product is formed when a ketone is reduced with NaBH₄?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What reducing agent is used to reduce aldehydes and ketones to alcohols?

    Model answer

    Sodium borohydride (NaBH₄)

  2. 2

    What type of product is formed when an aldehyde is reduced with NaBH₄?

    Model answer

    A primary alcohol

  3. 3

    What type of product is formed when a ketone is reduced with NaBH₄?

    Model answer

    A secondary alcohol

  4. 4

    What type of reaction mechanism occurs when NaBH₄ reduces a carbonyl compound?

    Model answer

    Nucleophilic addition

  5. 5

    In the nucleophilic addition mechanism with NaBH₄, which species acts as the nucleophile?

    Model answer

    The hydride ion (H⁻)

  6. 6

    Which atom in the carbonyl group does the hydride ion attack during reduction with NaBH₄?

    Model answer

    The carbonyl carbon atom

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