Benzhydrol was directly reduced to diphenylmethane by alpha-hydroxyaldehydes and dialdehyde, being saccharide degradates, without using a hydride reagent, in supercritical water at 400 degrees C for 10 min. A lower-temperature reaction in subcritical water at 300 degrees C primarily generated 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethane. A plausible reaction pathway was proposed, involving radical formation via the degradation of hemiacetal intermediates derived from benzhydrol and aldehydes. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.