We have found that phenolic hydroxyl groups were readily deoxygenated via aryl sulfonate under the Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation conditions in the presence of diethylamine and the method could also be applicable to the hydrodeoxygenation of morphine to afford 3-deoxy- 7, 8-dihydromorphine. Diethylamine is not only a scavenger of the corresponding methanesulfonic acid derivative, which is produced during the reaction progress, but also ...