A new procedure was developed for the reduction of tertiary aliphatic, olefinic, and aromatic amides t o aldehydes. Reaction of the amides (1)' (5), ( 7 ) , (9), (ll), ( 13), (15), and (17) with ethyl or methyl trifluoromethanesulphonate in CH,CI, at room temperature and then with L-Selectride at -78°C gave the corresponding aldehydes (2), ( 6) , (8), (lo), (12), ( 14), ( 16), and (18), respectively. A second functional group, including C02R, G C , CH(OCH,CH,O), and C=N, in these amides was found to be inert under the conditions employed. These selective reductions gave the desired aldehydes in 50-73% isolated yields and in > 95% yields based on converted amides.Amides can be converted into aldehydes in satisfactory yields by several reducing agents, such as LiA1H4,lp3 LiAlH(OEt)3,4*5 and NaAlH,(OCH,CH,0Me)2.6 Only a few procedures however can lead to aldehydes efficiently by reduction of amides that contain other readily reducible functional groups.' We now report a solution to this problem by use of alkyl trifluoromethanesulphonates and L-Selectride.