Highly Efficient, Catalytic Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley Reduction with a Novel Bidentate Aluminum Catalyst.

Double electrophilic activation of carbonyl groups allows a modern variant of the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction to be carried out under mild conditions with bidentate catalyst 1 (see reaction). Various carbonyl substrates can be reduced efficiently at room temperature in CH2 Cl2 with 2-propanol or sec-phenethyl alcohol in the presence of a catalytic amount of 1. This system is also applicable to the Oppenauer oxidation of secondary alcohols to the corresponding ketones.