Reduction of carboxylates to alkanols catalysed by Colletotrichum gloeosporoides

Abstract

Sodium carboxylates (C₆–C₁₀) are effectively reduced to the corresponding alcohols by growing cultures of Colletotricum gloeosporoides in a preparatively useful way; intermediacy of the aldehydes is established by deuterium incorporation experiments; the unusual reducing capacity is proposed as an useful procedure for the preparation of alcohols of value as aroma components.