REGIOSPECIFIC RDUCTION OF UNSATURATED CONJUGATED KETONES WITH SODIUM DITHIONITE UNDER PHASE TRANSFER CATALYSIS

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)87304-X

Selective double bond reduction of unsaturated conjugated ketones has been achieved in excellent yields by use of sodium dithionite in a two phase benzene-water system with Adogen as phase transfer catalyst.However, this reduction was unsatisfactory for hydrophilic ketones; in this case, competitive reactions led to the predominant formation of water soluble sulfur derivatives, similar to those obtained in the reaction of unsaturated conjugated ketones with sodium dithionite in aqueous dimethylformamide.