Catalytic reduction reactions of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by palladium(II) and nickel(H) complexes with N,N-dimethylammine borane are studied. Palladium and nickel complexes with nitrogen donor ligands such as 2,2 '-bipyridine (bpy) and N,N '-tetramethylethylenediamine are found to be effective catalysts. In the case of [Pd(bpy)Cl-2] selective double bond reduction is observed. Comparative results of palladium(II)- and nickel(II)-catalysed reactions are presented. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.