A modified lithium aluminium hydride type reducing agent is useful for reducing organic compounds having a carbonyl group-(ketone group of aldehyde group) in their structure to the corresponding alcohols. It is obtained by reacting one equivalent of lithium aluminium hydride with one equivalent of an optically active N-substituted ephedrine of the formula,
(wherein R, is a C i -C 4 alkyl group or benzyl group and Ph is phenyl group)
and two equivalents of an N-substituted aniline of the formula,
(wherein R 2 is a C 1 -C 4 alkyl group or phenyl group, and Ph is phenyl group). The reducing agent is particularly useful for reducing 2-acetyl-5, 8-dimethoxy-3, 4-dihydronaphthalene to the corresponding 2-(1'-hydroxy)ethyl compound, and, by selecting a particular modified aluminium hydride the unsymmetrical ketone can be reduced to selectively produce either an alcohol in which the asymmetric carbon atom bonded to the hydroxy group is in R-configuration or an alcohol in which said asymmetric carbon atom is in S-configuration.