Bouveault-Blanc reduction

The Bouveault-Blanc reduction is a chemical reaction in which an ester is reduced to primary alcohols using absolute ethanol and sodium metal.



This reaction is an inexpensive and large-scale alternative to lithium aluminum hydride reduction of esters.

Reaction mechanism
Sodium metal is a single-electron reducing agent, meaning the sodium metal will transfer electrons one at a time. Four sodium atoms are required to fully reduce each ester to alcohols. Ethanol serves as a proton source.