ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 20, Number 1
JKCSEZ 20(1)
February 20, 1976 

The addition of one mole of zinc chloride to 2.33 moles of sodium borohydride in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature gave a clear chloride-free supernatant solution of zinc borohydride after stirring three days and standing at room temperature.The approximate rates and stoichiometry of the reaction of zinc borohydride with 54 selected organic compounds were determined in order to test the utility of the reagent as a selective reducing agent. Aldehydes and ketones were reduced rapidly, aromatic ketones being somewhat slowly, and the double bond of cinnamaldehyde was not attacked. Acyl halides were reduced rapidly within one hour, but acid anhydrides were reduced at a moderate rate. Carboxylic acids, both aliphatic and aromatic, were slowly reduced to alcoholic stage. Esters were inert to this reagent but a cyclic ester, γ-butyrolactone, was slowly attacked. Primary amides were reduced slowly with partial evolution of hydrogen, whereas tertiary amides underwent neither reduction nor hydrogen evolution. Epoxides and nitriles were all inert, as well as nitro, azo, and azoxy compounds. Cyclohexanone oxime and phenyl isocyanate were reduced slowly but pyridine was inert. Disulfide, sulfoxide, sulfone and sulfonic acids were stable to this reagent.