Lithium aluminium hydride

Lithium aluminium hydride is a high-purity lithium-chemicals supplied for industrial and specialty chemical applications. Contact our team for specifications, packaging options and lead times.

1. Organic Synthesis – Reducing Agent

LAH is primarily used to reduce polar multiple bonds in organic compounds, especially:

Carboxylic acids → primary alcohols

Esters → primary alcohols

Aldehydes & ketones → alcohols

Amides → amines

Nitriles → amines

Epoxides → alcohols

These reductions are widely used in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, fragrances, and specialty chemicals.

2. Pharmaceutical Industry

In drug development, LAH enables key steps such as:

Deprotection of protected functional groups

Stereoselective reductions for chiral alcohols or amines

Synthesis of intermediates for APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients)

3. Polymer and Material Chemistry

Used to modify or reduce:

Polyesters

Polysaccharides

Functional monomers in advanced polymer synthesis

4. Battery & Energy Research (Less common)

Although less used commercially in this area, LAH is studied for:

Hydrogen storage due to high hydrogen content

Reactivity with metal hydrides in solid-state hydrogen fuel applications

5. Academic & R&D

LAH is a staple reagent in university labs and research institutions, used for:

Teaching reduction reactions

Exploring synthetic routes to novel compounds

Mechanistic studies in physical organic chemistry

✔️ Powerful and Broad-Scope Reducer

One of the few reagents that can reduce carboxylic acids and esters efficiently to primary alcohols.

✔️ High Yield Potential

Well-controlled LAH reductions can offer excellent yields with minimal by-products when performed under appropriate conditions.

✔️ Versatile

It reacts with a wide range of functional groups, making it an all-in-one solution for multi-step syntheses.

✔️ Commercial Availability

Available from major chemical suppliers in multiple purities and scales, including stabilized forms for safer handling.

Lithium aluminium hydride is a highly effective reducing agent central to modern organic chemistry. Its ability to reduce a wide variety of functional groups makes it indispensable in both industrial and academic settings. Despite its reactivity and handling challenges, it remains a cornerstone reagent in the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials.

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