ABSTRACT
Aluminum alkoxides, particularly those formed from secondary alcohols, have been of interest to synthetic chemists since the mid-1920s due to their catalytic activity. Examples of these trialkoxides include aluminum isopropoxide (AIP) and aluminum sec-butoxide (ASB). They are easily prepared at lab or plant scale and provide highly selective reductions and oxidations under mild conditions. These reductions are termed Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reactions after the chemists (1-3) who first investigated their utility. Because a MPV reaction are accuratelybe described as an equilibrium process, the reverse reaction (oxidation) can also be exploited. These associated reactions are termed Oppenauer oxidations (4). Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reductions and Oppenauer oxidations as well as other reaction types and applications will be discussed, but first some background is provided concerning structure, preparation, and characterization of aluminum isopropoxide and related compounds.
