Birch Reductions at Room Temperature with Alkali Metals in Silica Gel (Na2K-SG(I))

Alkali metals in silica gel (the Na2K-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, achieve excellent yields and high selectivities at room temperature.