The validity of the spectrophotometric method for determination of the kinetics of the reduction of ketones with sodium borohydride

Abstract

The kinetics of reduction of a number of ketones by sodium borohydride have been followed spectroscopically and give good second-order plots with correlation coefficients ca. 0·999 and essentially zero intercepts at zero time. These plots yield satisfactorily reproducible rate constants over a range of concentrations. The results suggest that the spectral method is satisfactory for measurement of these kinetics. The values of the rate constants are in agreement with those previously obtained by potentiometric and chromatographic methods but considerably higher than those obtained by the iodate titration method.