Indium Tribromide-Catalysed Transfer-Hydrogenation: Expanding the Scope of the Hydrogenation and of the Regiodivergent DH or HD Addition to Alkenes

The transfer-hydrogenation as well as the regioselective and regiodivergent addition of H−D from regiospecific deuterated dihydroaromatic compounds to a variety of 1,1-di- and trisubstituted alkenes was realised with InBr₃ in dichloro(m)ethane. In comparison with the previously reported BF₃⋅Et₂O-catalysed process, electron-deficient aryl-substituents can be applied reliably and thereby several restrictions could be lifted, and new types of substrates could be transformed successfully in hydrodeuterogenation as well as deuterohydrogenation transfer-hydrogenation reactions.