How to Reduce Benzoic Acid to Alcohol or Aldehyde
                                
                                
                                •
                                
                                
                        
                                    
                                    5 min read                                
                            
                                With a long history in food preservation, benzoic acid is a common organic compound whose reduction is a fundamental process in synthetic chemistry. Whether the goal is to form a primary alcohol like benzyl alcohol or a more challenging aldehyde intermediate, knowing how to reduce benzoic acid effectively depends on the choice of specific reagents and conditions.