Lithium aluminum hydride reduces the anhydrides to alcohols. In a first stage the molecule breaks, forming aldehyde and carboxylate which are in turn reduced to alcohols.
![reduction-anhydrides reduccion-anhidridos](/images/stories/organica-ii/anhidridos/reduccion/reduccion-anhidridos-01.png)
The reaction mechanism occurs in the following stages
Stage 1 . hydride addition
![reduction-anhydrides reduccion-anhidridos](/images/stories/organica-ii/anhidridos/reduccion/reduccion-anhidridos-02.png)
Stage 2 . acetate removal
![reduction-anhydrides reduccion-anhidridos](/images/stories/organica-ii/anhidridos/reduccion/reduccion-anhidridos-03.png)
Stage 3. Reduction of aldehyde and carboxylate to alcohol
![reduction-anhydrides reduccion-anhidridos](/images/stories/organica-ii/anhidridos/reduccion/reduccion-anhidridos-04.png)