Chapter 20, Problem 20.50P

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

How to carry out the given transformation is to be shown.

Concept introduction:

Sodium borohydride $\left({\text{NaBH}}_{\text{4}}\right)$ readily reduces high-energy acid derivatives such as acid chlorides $\left(\text{RCOCl}\right)$ and acid anhydrides $\left({\text{RCO}}_{\text{2}}\text{COR}\right)$ to primary alcohols. Esters, which are significantly more stable, are reduced to primary alcohols slowly. All this reaction carried out by an aldehyde intermediate and it reduced in an another reduction step to the alcohol. ${\text{LiAlH}}_{\text{4}}$ is a more powerful reducing agent than ${\text{NaBH}}_{\text{4}}$ and can thus reduce acid chlorides, acid anhydrides, and esters to primary alcohols, too.