Meerwein-Ponndorf Reaction

(in Russian, Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reaction), the selective reduction of aldehydes and ketones to alcohols under the action of isopropyl alcohol in the presence of aluminum isopropylate:

The reaction is reversible (the reverse reaction is known as Oppenauer oxidation); it is employed in organic synthesis under laboratory conditions. It was discovered by the German chemist H. Meerwein and the French chemist A. Verley in 1925 and independently by the German chemist W. Ponndorf in 1926.