Triethylamine borane - a stable, efficient and safe reductant for transforming carboxylic acids to primary alcohols

Triethylamine borane, (C2H5)3N.BH3, is a stable, safe and readily available reagent which at 80 °C reduces carboxylic acids to primary alcohols in high yields; functional derivatives of carboxylic acids such as esters, nitriles or amides are virtually nonreactive with this reagent under the same conditions. Aldehydes, ketones and acid chlorides, however, react readily. No solvent is required for the process.