A convenient methodology for the chemoselective reduction of a wide variety of functionalized alkenes

An efficient method to effect chemoselective reduction of alkenes (including trisubstituted olefins) possessing various sensitive and/or reducible groups such as acetals, allylic alcohols, benzyl ethers, epoxides, esters, halides, nitriles, and sulfones is reported. The reduction is facile at 0 °C in aqueous N,N-dimethylacetamide containing sodium borohydride in the presence of 15 mol % ruthenium(III) chloride. Regioselective reduction of dienes is also feasible if the double bonds are sufficiently different in their structural environment.