Palladium‐Catalyzed Reduction of Carboxylic Acids to Alcohols With Ammonia Borane

We report a general protocol for the reduction of different kinds of carboxylic acids to produce alcohols using a commercial heterogeneous Pd‐catalyst and ammonia borane as a reducing agent. Applying this Pd‐based catalyst, a series of aromatic, heterocyclic, and aliphatic carboxylic acids, including di‐acids, were reduced to their corresponding alcohols in good to excellent yields. Interestingly, fatty acids were also conveniently converted to fatty alcohols with a yield of up to 98%. Further, the synthetic utility of this reduction process is showcased by performing late‐stage reduction of bioactive compounds.