Question

How do you reduce a primary alcohol?

Answer 1

Well, you certainly could not use `LiAlH_4`. Why not?

Explanation:

You want to make the transition, alcohol to alkane?

Dehydrate the alcohol to give the olefin, and then reduce the olefin with `H_2` to give the alkane.

`RCH_2CH_2-CH_2OH +Delta rarr^(H+) RCH=CH_2 + H_2O`

`RCH=CH_2 +H_2 rarr RCH_2CH_3`