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Reduction of Carbonyl Compounds
Concepts tested here
- Clemmensen reduction
All Questions
2007 AIPMT-PRE 1 question
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Reduction of aldehydes and ketones into hydrocarbons using zinc amalgam and conc. HCl is calledIn the Clemmensen reduction, the carbonyl group of an aldehyde or ketone is reduced to a $CH_2$ group on treatment with zinc amalgam and concentrated hydrochloric acid.
$\gt C=O \xrightarrow{Zn\text{-}Hg,\ conc.\ HCl} \gt CH_2 + H_2O$
For example: $CH_3-CO-CH_3 \xrightarrow{Zn\text{-}Hg,\ conc.\ HCl} CH_3-CH_2-CH_3 + H_2O$
In the Wolff-Kishner reduction the same conversion is done with hydrazine followed by heating with KOH in ethylene glycol, i.e. in a basic medium.
The Dow process is used for the manufacture of phenol from chlorobenzene, and the Cope reaction is an elimination (or rearrangement), not this reduction.
So the reduction with zinc amalgam and conc. HCl is the Clemmensen reduction.