Light-driven MPV-type reduction of aryl ketones/aldehydes to alcohols with isopropanol under mild conditions

Alcohols are versatile structural motifs of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and fine chemicals. With respect to green chemistry, the development of more sustainable and cost-efficient processes for converting ketones/aldehydes to alcohols is highly desired. Herein, a direct light-driven strategy for reducing ketones/aldehydes to alcohols using isopropanol as the reducing agent and solvent, in the presence of t-BuOLi, under an air atmosphere at room temperature is developed. This operationally simple light-promoted Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) type reduction can be used to produce various benzylic alcohol derivatives as well as applied to bioactive molecules and PEEK model compounds, demonstrating its application potential.

Automated summary

This study developed a direct light-driven method for reducing ketones/aldehydes to alcohols using isopropanol as the reducing agent and solvent. This simple and practical approach can be used to produce alcohol derivatives and bioactive molecules, showing promising application potential.