Aldrich introduces novel reagents

Aldrich, a division of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, has produced and licensed a new range of air-stable reducing agents for use in Chemical Synthesis.

The Lithium Aminoborohydride (LAB) reagents, developed by Professor Bakthan Singaram and licensed to Aldrich by the University of California, Santa Cruz, are highly reactive yet air-stable reagents used for reduction and amination that offer an alternative to the widely used Lithium Aluminum Hydride (LiAlH4).

Chris Hewitt, director of business development for chemistry at Sigma-Aldrich, said: 'we are pleased to be able to work with Professor Singaram to advance science by making these reagents available for chemical synthesis. LAB reagents extend the toolbox for C-N bond formation while offering the advantages of safety, ease of handling, and simple work-up procedures in typical reductions, enabling scientists to routinely perform chemical reductions in high yields and without difficulty.'

Professor Singaram added: 'in addition to showing comparable reactivity to LiAlH4, LAB reagents are safe and do not liberate hydrogen when quenched with water. In undergraduate teaching laboratories, transformations that would seldom be attempted to avoid the use of LAH or borane, such as the reduction of tertiary amides or esters, may become routine experiments with the use of LAB.'