Reduction with NaBH₄ template

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Borohydride delivers H⁻ to acetone and methanol protonates the alkoxide to give propan-2-ol.

Mechanism step by step

Hydride adds to the carbonyl carbon; the solvent protonates the alkoxide

Hydride transfer – B–H electrons attack the C=O carbon
Protonation – Methanol protonates the alkoxide

Key points

Aldehydes give 1° alcohols, ketones 2° alcohols.
NaBH₄ is mild: esters, acids and amides are untouched; LiAlH₄ reduces them too.
Each BH₄⁻ can deliver up to four hydrides.
Hydride attacks the less hindered face of a cyclic ketone.

Drawn with 32 atoms, 7 arrows, 4 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Reduction with NaBH₄ template free?

You can preview the Reduction with NaBH₄ template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.

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Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

What is a curly-arrow mechanism template?

A ready-made drawing of a reaction mechanism in which curved arrows show where electron pairs move in each step. You can open it in MolDraw, change the substrate and reuse it.