Transition metal free transfer hydrogenation of ketones promoted by 1,3-diarylimidazolium salts and KOH

An efficient transition metal free and greener catalytic system was developed for the selective transfer hydrogenation of saturated ketones to alcohols. This was achieved by the use of 1,3-diarylimidazolium salts in the presence of KOH as a promoter for the reaction. When the range of substrates was expanded to include unsaturated ketones, selective reduction of the double bond occurred. The catalyst efficiency was comparable to some established transition metal catalyzed systems. The current system utilizes mild aerobic reaction conditions compared to the inert atmosphere conditions required for the corresponding metal based systems.     

MOFs在不饱和醛选择加氢中的应用研究进展

不饱和醛多相催化选择加氢制备不饱和醇常常被选作C=O键选择性加氢的代表性反应,长期以来一直备受关注,然而如何获得兼具高活性及高选择性的催化剂依然具有很大挑战.近年来,由于金属有机骨架(Metal-organic frameworks MOFs)材料具有的独特性能,应用在加氢领域的研究越来越多,常用做催化剂载体或直接作为...     

Asymmetric Transfer and Pressure Hydrogenation with Earth‐Abundant Transition Metal Catalysts

The asymmetric transfer and pressure hydrogenation of various unsaturated substrates provides a succinct pathway to important chiral intermediates and products such as chiral alcohols, amines, and alkanes. The use of earth‐abundant transition metals such as Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu in hydrogenation reactions provides an attractive alternative to traditionally used metals such as Ru, Rh, Ir, and Pd because they are comparatively inexpensive, less toxic, and as their name suggests, more abundant in nature. Earth‐abundant transition metal‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation is rapidly becoming an important area of research. This review summarizes advances in the asymmetric hydrogenation of unsaturated bonds (ketones, imines, and alkenes) with earth‐abundant transition metals.     

One-pot β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols catalyzed by ruthenacycles

A ruthenacycle-catalyzed one-pot β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols is described. A survey of four C–N chelate ruthenacycles synthesized via the cyclometallation reaction of phenylmethanamine, N-methylphenylmethanamine, N,N-dimethylphenylmethanamine, and naphthalen-1-ylmethanamine with [(η⁶-C₆H₆)RuCl₂]₂ was undertaken. All four complexes were found to be active with the phenylmethanamine-based ruthenacycle showing the best combination of reactivity and product selectivity among the four. An expanded scope of substrates was also studied with the inclusion of unsaturated primary alcohols. The reactivity trend observed gave insights into the role of hydrogen bonding in the catalytic mechanism involving transfer hydrogenation between the substrates and the transition metal catalyst.     

Recent topics of transfer hydrogenation

A number of transition metal catalysts have been developed for transfer hydrogenation of organic molecules. This method provides a useful process for the reduction of unsaturated molecules without the need for explosive hydrogen gas. An important development in this area is the design of new ligands that improve activity and selectivity under mild reaction conditions. Polydentate ligands are good candidates for producing high performance metal catalysts. This digest describes recent developments in transfer hydrogenation as well as asymmetric reactions using metal catalysts containing polydentate ligand systems.     

甲醇为氢源的连续化催化转移加氢合成芳胺

开发了一种温和高效的以甲醇为氢源,以Ru-Fe双金属催化剂催化的硝基芳烃连续化转移加氢方法。采用浸渍法制备Ru-Fe双金属催化剂,通过电感耦合等离子体-质谱(ICP-MS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD）、氢气程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)对催化剂进行表征。结果表明催化剂具有较小的粒径和较好的分散性。在Ru-Fe双金属催化剂上,成功实现了硝基芳烃与甲醇在无外加氢源条件下的连续化转移加氢合成芳胺。通过对反应条件的调控,成功得到了一系列产率较高的胺类化合物。特别地,该方法对不饱和基团(醛基、羰基或炔基)取代的硝基芳烃的加氢表现出优异的选择性和转化率。     

Ruthenacycles and Iridacycles as Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysts

In this review, we describe the synthesis and use in hydrogen transfer reactions of ruthenacycles and iridacycles. The review limits itself to metallacycles where a ligand is bound in bidentate fashion to either ruthenium or iridium via a carbon–metal sigma bond, as well as a dative bond from a heteroatom or an N-heterocyclic carbene. Pincer complexes fall outside the scope. Described are applications in (asymmetric) transfer hydrogenation of aldehydes, ketones, and imines, as well as reductive aminations. Oxidation reactions, i.e., classical Oppenauer oxidation, which is the reverse of transfer hydrogenation, as well as dehydrogenations and oxidations with oxygen, are described. Racemizations of alcohols and secondary amines are also catalyzed by ruthenacycles and iridacycles.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Amination of Alcohols by the Use of Borrowing Hydrogen Methodology: Cooperative Catalysis by Iridium and a Chiral Phosphoric Acid

The catalytic asymmetric reduction of ketimines has been explored extensively for the synthesis of chiral amines, with reductants ranging from Hantzsch esters, silanes, and formic acid to H₂ gas. Alternatively, the amination of alcohols by the use of borrowing hydrogen methodology has proven a highly atom economical and green method for the production of amines without an external reductant, as the alcohol substrate serves as the H₂ donor. A catalytic enantioselective variant of this process for the synthesis of chiral amines, however, was not known. We have examined various transition‐metal complexes supported by chiral ligands known for asymmetric hydrogenation reactions, in combination with chiral Brønsted acids, which proved essential for the formation of the imine intermediate and the transfer‐hydrogenation step. Our studies led to an asymmetric amination of alcohols to provide access to a wide range of chiral amines with good to excellent enantioselectivity.     

甲醇为氢源的连续化催化转移加氢合成芳胺

开发了一种温和高效的以甲醇为氢源，以Ru-Fe双金属为催化剂的硝基芳烃连续化转移加氢方法。采用浸渍法制备Ru-Fe双金属催化剂，通过电感耦合等离子体-质谱(ICP-MS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD）、氢气程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)对催化剂进行表征。结果表明催化剂具有较小的粒径和较好的分散性。在Ru-Fe双金属催化剂上，成功实现了硝基芳烃与甲醇在无外加氢源条件下的连续化转移加氢合成芳胺。通过对反应条件的调控，成功得到了一系列产率较高的胺类化合物。特别地，该方法对不饱和基团(醛基、羰基或炔基)取代的硝基芳烃的加氢表现出优异的选择性和转化率。     

Chloride‐Bridged Dinuclear Rhodium(III) Complexes Bearing Chiral Diphosphine Ligands: Catalyst Precursors for Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Simple Olefins

Efficient rhodium(III) catalysts were developed for asymmetric hydrogenation of simple olefins. A new series of chloride‐bridged dinuclear rhodium(III) complexes 1 were synthesized from the rhodium(I) precursor [RhCl(cod)]₂, chiral diphosphine ligands, and hydrochloric acid. Complexes from the series acted as efficient catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation of (E)‐prop‐1‐ene‐1,2‐diyldibenzene and its derivatives without any directing groups, in sharp contrast to widely used rhodium(I) catalytic systems that require a directing group for high enantioselectivity. The catalytic system was applied to asymmetric hydrogenation of allylic alcohols, alkenylboranes, and unsaturated cyclic sulfones. Control experiments support the superiority of dinuclear rhodium(III) complexes 1 over typical rhodium(I) catalytic systems.     

A novel Pt/C‐catalyzed transfer hydrogenation reaction of p‐benzoquinone to produce p‐hydroquinone using cyclohexanone as an unexpectedly effective hydrogen source

A new method for the production of p‐hydroquinone via a Pt/C‐catalyzed reduction of p‐benzoquinone is developed. Different from the conventional transfer hydrogenation reactions that usually use secondary alcohols such as isopropanol as the hydrogen source, in this work, it is unexpectedly found that cyclohexanone is a more effective hydrogen source than secondary alcohols, even cyclohexanol. This reaction affords acceptable yields of p‐hydroquinone with very high turnover number (1109) of the Pt/C catalyst. A mechanism of this interesting reaction is proposed on the basis of the results of a series of control experiments, GC–MS analysis as well as dynamic studies.     

Chiral Phosphoric‐Acid‐Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation of Ethyl Ketimine Derivatives by Using Benzothiazoline

Chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of ketimines derived from propiophenone derivatives and reductive amination of alkyl ethyl ketone derivatives were extensively examined in the presence of two representative hydrogen donors. The excellent enantioselective transfer hydrogenation was achieved by use of benzothiazoline as a hydrogen donor. The theoretical studies elucidated that the unsymmetrical structure of benzothiazoline plays an important role in high enantioselective hydrogenation.     

Effects of support and metal loading on the characteristics of Co based catalysts for selective hydrogenation of citral

Silica-, alumina- and titania-supported Co catalysts with different metal loadings were tested for selective citral hydrogenation in liquid phase. Temperature programmed desorption of hydrogen (H₂-TPD) indicated that the catalysts with the highest unsaturated alcohols selectivities present particular H-Co species. Electron diffraction and XRD measurements revealed that these species would be linked to the presence of Co⁰ hexagonal phase. According to the results obtained by TEM and cyclohexane dehydrogenation, these two properties would be present on large Co particles.     

Upgrading and expanding the scope of homogeneous transfer hydrogenation

Transfer hydrogenation using inexpensive and safe hydrogen sources of alcohols and formic acid has been studied thoroughly over the decades. In particular, the asymmetric version offers the state-of-the-art methods to obtain optically active alcohols and amines, which are valuable synthetic intermediates in the field of pharmaceutical and agrochemical industry. This digest paper highlights the recent notable advances in homogeneous transfer hydrogenation using transition metal complexes, especially in direction to establish practical greener processes by upgrading the catalyst performance or by expanding the scope of reducible functional groups.     

An efficient heterogeneous catalytic system for chemoselective hydrogenation of unsaturated ketones in aqueous medium

A highly chemoselective and green heterogeneous catalytic system of immobilized Ru(II)–phenanthroline complexes on amino functionalised MCM-41 material for the chemoselective hydrogenation of unsaturated ketones to unsaturated alcohols is demonstrated using water as a solvent. The XRD and FTIR spectra show the highly ordered hexagonal nature of the MCM-41, even after encapsulation of the ruthenium complex. The complex retains its configuration after anchoring, as was confirmed by FTIR and UV–Vis analysis. The detailed reaction parametric effect was studied for the hydrogenation of 3-methylpent-3-en-2-one to achieve complete conversion up to >99% chemoselectivity of 3-methylpent-3-en-2-ol. The anchored heterogeneous catalysts were recycled effectively and reused five times with marginal changes in activity and selectivity. The use of water as a solvent not only afforded high activity for the hydrogenation reaction compared to organic solvents, but also afforded a green process.     

Enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of ketones with planar chiral ruthenocene-based phosphinooxazoline ligands

1,2-Disubstituted planar chiral ruthenocene-based phosphinooxazoline ligands (Rc-PHOX, 3 and 4) were synthesized easily and applied in the transfer hydrogenation of ketones to chiral alcohols using 2-propanol as a source of hydrogen with excellent enantioselectivity and high catalytic activity.     

Computational mechanistic studies of acceptorless dehydrogenation reactions catalyzed by transition metal complexes

Acceptorless dehydrogenation (AD) that uses non-toxic reagents and produces no waste is a type of catalytic reactions toward green chemistry. Acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenation (AAD) can serve as a key step in constructing new bonds such as C-C and C-N bonds in which alcohols need to be activated into more reactive ketones or aldehydes. AD reactions also can be utilized for hydrogen production from biomass or its fermentation products (mainly alcohols). Reversible hydrogenation/ dehy-drogenation with hydrogen uptake/release is crucial to realization of the potential organic hydride hydrogen storage. In this article, we review the recent computational mechanistic studies of the AD reactions catalyzed by various transition metal complexes as well as the experimental developments. These reactions include acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenations, reversible dehydrogenation/hydrogenation of nitrogen heterocycles, dehydrogenative coupling reactions of alcohols and amines to construct C-N bonds, and dehydrogenative coupling reactions of alcohols and unsaturated substrates to form C-C bonds. For the catalysts possessing metal-ligand bifunctional active sites (such as 28, 45, 86, 87, and 106 in the paper), the dehydrogenations prefer the "bifunctional double hydrogen transfer" mechanism rather than the generally accepted-H elimination mechanism. However, methanol dehydrogenation involved in the C-C coupling reaction of methanol and allene, catalyzed by the iridium complex 121, takes place via the-H elimination mechanism, because the Lewis basicity of either the-allyl moiety or the carboxyl group of the ligand is too weak to exert high Lewis basic reactivity. Unveiling the catalytic mechanisms of AD reactions could help to develop new catalysts.     

Biogenic Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles on a Green Support as a Reusable Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of Nitroarene and Quinoline

Direct attachment of gold nanoparticles to a green support without the use of an external reducing agent and using it for removing toxic pollutants from wastewater, i. e., reduction of nitroarene to amine, are described. A novel approach involving the reduction of gold by the jute plant (Corchorus genus) stem-based (JPS) support itself to form nanoparticles (AuNPs) to be used as a catalytic system (‘dip-catalyst’) and its catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of series of nitroarenes in aqueous media are presented. AuNPs/JPS catalyst was characterized using SEM, UV-Vis, FTIR, TEM, XPS, and ICP-OES. Confined area elemental mapping exhibits uniform and homogeneous distribution of AuNPs on the support surface. TEM shows multi-faceted AuNPs in the range of 20–30 nm. The reactivity of AuNPs/JPS for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarene as well as hydrogenation of quinoline under molecular H₂ pressure was evaluated. Sodium borohydride, when used as the hydrogen source, demonstrates a high catalytic efficiency in the transfer hydrogenation reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Quinoline is quantitatively and chemoselectively hydrogenated to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline (py-THQ) using molecular hydrogen. Reusability studies show that AuNPs are stable on the support surface and their selectivity is not affected.     

A High-Valent Ru-PCP Pincer Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Carbonyl and Carboxyl Compounds under Molecular Hydrogen

Low-valent metals traditionally dominate the domain of catalytic hydrogenation. However, metal-ligand cooperating (MLC) catalytic systems, operating through heterolytic H−H bond splitting by a Lewis acidic metal and a basic ligand site, do not require an electron-rich metal. On the contrary, high-valent metals that induce weaker back donation facilitate heterolytic bond activation. Here we report, for the first time, the efficient hydrogenation of carbonyl and carboxyl compounds under molecular hydrogen catalyzed by a structurally well-defined Ru^IV catalyst bearing a bifunctional PCP pincer ligand. The catalyst exhibits reactivity toward molecular hydrogen superior to that of the low-valent analog and allows hydrogen activation even at room temperature.     

纳米金催化肉桂醛选择加氢制肉桂醇

α,β-不饱和醛/酮选择加氢生成不饱和醇是化学工业中一类重要反应,在精细化工生产中具有广泛应用,近年来吸引了研究者的广泛关注.该类反应因涉及不饱和官能团和碳氧双键的选择加氢而颇具挑战性:以肉桂醛选择加氢生成肉桂醇反应为例,肉桂醛分子中同时含有共轭的C=C双键和C=O双键,从热力学角度上看,C=O双键键能比C=C双键键能...