Clemmensen reduction

noun

An organic reaction in which an aldehyde or ketone carbonyl group is reduced to a methylene with zinc amalgam and hydrochloric acid.

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Meanings

nounClemmensen reduction (countable and uncountable, plural Clemmensen reductions)

plural Clemmensen reductions

  1. countableuncountablechemistryAn organic reaction in which an aldehyde or ketone carbonyl group is reduced to a methylene with zinc amalgam and hydrochloric acid.

Origin

Named after Erik Christian Clemmensen, the chemist who discovered this reaction.

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Cite this entry
APA

Clemmensen reduction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Clemmensen%20reduction

MLA

“Clemmensen reduction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Clemmensen%20reduction. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Clemmensen reduction,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Clemmensen%20reduction.

Source: Clemmensen reduction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.