Transition-Metal-Free Highly Chemoselective and Stereoselective Reduction with Se/DMF/H2O System.

A novel metal-free reduction system, in which H2Se (or HSe-) produced in situ from Se/DMF/H2O acts as the active reducing species, has been developed. By using water as an inexpensive, safe, and environmentally friendly surrogate as the hydrogen donor, this new reduction system incorporating Se/DMF/H2O displayed high selectivity and good activity in the reduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones and alkynes. Therefore, this reduction system has great potential to be a general and practical reduction methodology in organic transformation.