The reduction of allyl alcohols by Clostridium species is catalyzed by the combined action of alcohol dehydrogenase and enoate reductase.

Cells, as well as crude extracts of Clostridium kluyveri or Clostridium spec. La 1, catalyze the hydrogenation of (E)- or (Z)-2-butenol to n-butanol. No single enzyme could be detected which directly accomplishes this reaction. It turned out that the reduction occurs as follows: 2-butenol leads to 2-butenal leads to n-butanal leads to n-butanol. The first step is catalyzed by the NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase in C. kluyveri, the second by the recently detected enoate reductase which reduces not only nonactivated alpha, beta-unsaturated acylates but also alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes in a NADH-dependent reaction and the third step is again catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase. In Clostridium La 1 the alcohol dehydrogenase is NADP-dependent. The rate of the reduction of 2-butenol to n-butanol depends not only on the enzymes, but also on the ratio NAD(P)/NAD(P)H. In the presence of methylviologen cation radical which is formed by the reduction of methylviologen by the system H2/hydrogenase, the ratio NAD(P)/NAD(P)H is too small for the dehydrogenation of 2-butenol to 2-butenal. This explains the antagonistic effect of methylviologen in the hydrogenation of allyl alcohols and 2-enoates by both Clostridium species. Furthermore, the mechanism explains the finding that from a preparative point of view ethanol is a better electron donor than hydrogen for the stereospecific reduction of allyl alcohols.