Reduction of Benzil to Hydrobenzoin

In what ways can alcohols be synthesized that was done in the experiment?

The reduction of a carbonyl group using a hydride reagent.

What are two possible hydride reducing reagent agents?

NaBH4 and LiAlH4

What does the hydride reagent do in this experiment?

It transfers a hydride to the carbonyl carbon to generate an intermediate alkoxide

What is the reduction reaction method being used in this experiment?

Adding a hydride (H^-) and a proton (H⁺) to a substrate

Both NaBH4 and LiAlH4 have high or low electronegativity?

low

Describe the makeup of a carbonyl

the oxygen is the electrophile and the carbon is the nucleophile

Describe the reaction mechanism

(1) Transfer of hydride (H^-) from borohydride to the carbonyl carbon (2) Protonation of the resulting alkoxide with the solvent

How does the hydride attack?

from either side of the plane due to the alcohol’s geometry which produces different stereoisomers

Why are NaBH4 and LiAlH4 good reducing agents?

They are less electronegative than hydrogen and as a result, the metal – hydrogen bond will be polarized with the metal being partially positive and the hydrogen partially negative