When 1 mol of #NaBH_4# is used to reduce a ketone, how many moles of Hydride is used? How do you determine this?
2 Answers
Explanation:
For the ketone reduction, while the first hydrogen adds as a hydride, we are usually left with
When
Theoretically, 1 mol of
Explanation:
The equation for the first step is:
That makes a ratio of 1 mol of ketone to 0.25 mol of
However, an excess of reducing reagent is often used because some of it may react with the solvent.
In the second step, water is added, followed by heating.
This hydrolyzes the boron complex and forms the alcohol:
Thus, one of the
Any excess reducing agent is also destroyed in this step, since