Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley reduction
| Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley reduction | |
|---|---|
| Named after | Hans Meerwein Wolfgang Ponndorf Albert Verley |
| Reaction type | Organic redox reaction |
| Identifiers | |
| Organic Chemistry Portal | meerwein-ponndorf-verley-reduction |
| RSC ontology ID | RXNO:0000089 |
The Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley (MPV) reduction in organic chemistry is the reduction of ketones and aldehydes to their corresponding alcohols utilizing aluminium alkoxide catalysis in the presence of a sacrificial alcohol. The advantages of the MPV reduction lie in its high chemoselectivity and its use of a cheap environmentally friendly metal catalyst. MPV reductions have been described as "obsolete" owing to the development of sodium borohydride and related reagents.
Figure 1, Exchange of carbonyl oxidation states in the presence of aluminium isopropoxide. |
The MPV reduction was independently discovered by Albert Verley and the team of Hans Meerwein and Rudolf Schmidt in 1925. They found that a mixture of aluminium ethoxide and ethanol could reduce aldehydes to their alcohols. Ponndorf applied the reaction to ketones and upgraded the catalyst to aluminium isopropoxide in isopropanol.