Highly Productive CNN Pincer Ruthenium Catalysts for the Asymmetric Reduction of Alkyl Aryl Ketones

Robust and efficient transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds catalyzed by NN-Mn(I) complexes

A series of manganese(I) carbonyl complexes bearing structurally related NN- and NNN-chelating ligands have been synthesized and assessed as catalysts for transfer hydrogenation (TH). Notably, the NN-systems based on N-R functionalized 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline-8-amines, proved the most effective in the manganese-promoted conversion of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol. In particular, the N-isopropyl derivative, Mn1, when conducted in combination with t-BuONa, was the standout performer mediating not only the reduction of acetophenone but also a range of carbonyl substrates including (hetero)aromatic-, aliphatic- and cycloalkyl-containing ketones and aldehydes with especially high values of TON (up to 17 200; TOF of 3550 h-1). These findings, obtained through a systematic variation of the N-R group of the NN ligand, are consistent with an outer-sphere mechanism for the hydrogen transfer. As a more general point, this Mn-based catalytic TH protocol offers an attractive and sustainable alternative for producing alcoholic products from carbonyl substrates.

Terpyridine Diphosphine Ruthenium Complexes as Efficient Photocatalysts for the Transfer Hydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds

The cationic achiral and chiral terpyridine diphosphine ruthenium complexes [RuCl(PP)(tpy)]Cl (PP=dppp (1), (R,R)-Skewphos (2) and (S,S)-Skewphos (3)) are easily obtained in 85-88 % yield through a one-pot synthesis from [RuCl₂ (PPh₃ )₃ ], the diphosphine and 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (tpy) in 1-butanol. Treatment of 1-3 with NaPF₆ in methanol at RT affords quantitatively the corresponding derivatives [RuCl(PP)(tpy)]PF₆ (PP=dppp (1 a), (R,R)-Skewphos (2 a) and (S,S)-Skewphos (3 a)). Reaction of [RuCl₂ (PPh₃ )₃ ] with (S,R)-Josiphos or (R)-BINAP in toluene, followed by treatment with tpy in 1-butanol and finally with NaPF₆ in MeOH gives [RuCl(PP)(tpy)]PF₆ (PP=(S,R)-Josiphos (4 a), (R)-BINAP (5 a)) isolated in 78 % and 86 % yield, respectively. The chiral derivatives have been isolated as single stereoisomers and 3 a, 4 a have been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The tpy complexes with NaOiPr display high photocatalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation (TH) of carbonyl compounds using 2-propanol as the only hydrogen donor and visible light at 30 °C, at remarkably high S/C (up to 5000) and TOF values up to 264 h^-1 . The chiral enantiomers 2, 2 a and 3, 3 a induce the asymmetric photocatalytic TH of acetophenone, affording (S)- and (R)-1-phenylethanol with 51 and 52 % ee, respectively, in a MeOH/2-propanol mixture.

Efficient transfer hydrogenation of ketones by molybdenum complexes through comprehensively verifying auxiliary ligands

Molybdenum complexes, ligated with N1,N1-dialkyl-N2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolin-8-yl)ethane-1,2-diamines along with auxiliary ligands, provide various structural features as [NNH/NNHN]Mo(CO)4/3 (Mo1 – Mo3), [NNHN]Mo(CO)2Br] (Mo4 – Mo5), [NNH]Mo(CO)(η3-C3H5)Br](Mo6) and [NNHN/S] Mo(CO)(PPh3)2] (Mo7 – Mo8). All...

Cyclometalated (NNC)Ru(II) complex catalyzed β-methylation of alcohols using methanol

Indolyl fragment containing phenanthroline based new ligands and their corresponding Ru(II) complexes were synthesized and fully characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. Catalytic activity of these newly synthesized cyclometalated (NNC)Ru(II) complexes...

Chiral Tridentate Ligands in Transition Metal-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation

Asymmetric hydrogenation (AH) of double bonds has been one of the most effective methods for the preparation of chiral molecules and for the synthesis of important chiral building blocks. In the past 60 years, noble metals with bidentate ligands have shown marvelous reactivity and enantioselectivity in asymmetric hydrogenation of a series of prochiral substrates. In recent years, developing chiral tridentate ligands has played an increasingly important role in AH. With modular frameworks and a variety of functionalities on the side arms, chiral tridentate ligand complexes enable both reactivities and stereoselectivities. Although great achievements have been made for noble metal catalysts with chiral tridentate ligands since the 1990s, the design of chiral tridentate ligands for earth abundant metal catalysts has still been in high demand. This review summarizes the development of chiral tridentate ligands for homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation. The philosophy of ligand design and the reaction mechanisms are highlighted and discussed as well.

Enantiomerically Enriched 1,2-P,N-Bidentate Ferrocenyl Ligands for 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition and Transfer Hydrogenation Reactions

Novel complexes of 1,2-P,N-bidentate ferrocenyl ligands with AgOAc or with [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] as catalysts have been studied in asymmetric synthesis. The catalytic activity of these systems have been studied in [3+2]-cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with olefins and the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones.

Hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds of relevance to hydrogen storage in alcohols

Alcohols are a promising source for the sustainable production of hydrogen that may also serve as rechargeable liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs). Metal-catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols produces carbonyl derivatives as H2-depleted by-products, which by means of a hydrogenation reaction can be reconverted to the initial alcohols. Hence, reversible H2-storage systems based on pairs of secondary alcohols/ketones and primary alcohols/carboxylic acid derivatives may be envisaged. In this contribution, the hydrogenation of carbonyl derivatives, including ketones, esters, amides and carboxylic acids, is reviewed from the perspective of the hydrogen storage in alcohols.

An air and moisture tolerant iminotrihydroquinoline-ruthenium(ii) catalyst for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Both amine- and imine-containing E and F are highly effective in the transfer hydrogenation of a wide range of ketones with F significantly operating in bench quality 2-propanol and in vessels open to the air.

Non-symmetric pincer ligands: complexes and applications in catalysis

Pincer ligands have become ubiquitous in organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis. Recently, new varieties of pincer ligands with non-symmetrical backbones and/or ligating groups have been reported and their application in transition metal complexes has been exploited in a variety of catalytic transformations. This non-symmetric approach vastly increases the structural and electronic diversity of this class of ligand. This approach has proven beneficial in a variety of ways, such as the use of a single weakly coordinating moiety, which can dissociate and thereby create a vacant coordination site to increase the catalyst activity. Additionally, this provides further access to chiral ligands and complexes for asymmetric induction. This perspective highlights recent, important examples of non-symmetric pincer ligands, which feature aryl or pyridine backbones, and the synthesis and use of subsequent complexes in catalytic transformations, and discusses the future potential of this type of ligand system.

Recent advances in osmium-catalyzed hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions

CONSPECTUS: A current issue in metal-catalyzed reactions is the search for highly efficient transition-metal complexes affording high productivity and selectivity in a variety of processes. Moreover, there is also a great interest in multitasking catalysts that are able to efficiently promote different organic transformations by careful switching of the reaction parameters, such as temperature, solvent, and cocatalyst. In this context, osmium complexes have shown the ability to catalyze efficiently different types of reactions involving hydrogen, proving at the same time high thermal stability and simple synthesis. In the catalytic reduction of C═X (X = O, N) bonds by both hydrogenation (HY) and transfer hydrogenation (TH) reactions, the most interest has been focused on homogeneous systems based on rhodium, iridium, and in particular ruthenium catalysts, which have proved to catalyze chemo- and stereoselective hydrogenations with remarkable efficiency. By contrast, osmium catalysts have received much less attention because they are considered less active on account of their slower ligand exchange kinetics. Thus, this area remained almost neglected until recent studies refuted these prejudices. The aim of this Account is to highlight the impressive developments achieved over the past few years by our and other groups on the design of new classes of osmium complexes and their applications in homogeneous catalytic reactions involving the hydrogenation of carbon-oxygen and carbon-nitrogen bonds by both HY and TH reactions as well as in alcohol deydrogenation (DHY) reactions. The work described in this Account demonstrates that osmium complexes are emerging as powerful catalysts for asymmetric and non-asymmetric syntheses, showing a remarkably high catalytic activity in HY and TH reactions of ketones, aldehydes, imines, and esters as well in DHY reactions of alcohols. Thus, for instance, the introduction of ligands with an NH function, possibly in combination with a pyridine ring, led to a new family of [OsCl2(PP)(NN)] (NN = diamine, 2-aminomethylpyridine; PP = diphosphine) and pincer [OsCl(CNN)(PP)] (HCNN = 6-aryl-2-aminomethylpyridine, 2-aminomethylbenzo[h]quinoline) complexes, which are outstanding catalysts for (asymmetric) HY and TH of carbonyl compounds and DHY of alcohols with turnover numbers and turnover frequencies up to 10(5) and 10(6) h(-1), respectively. In addition, PNN osmium complexes containing the 2-aminomethylpyridine motif have been found to be among the most active catalysts for HY of esters. These complexes have shown catalytic activities that are comparable and in some cases superior to those reported for analogous ruthenium systems. These results give an idea of the potential of Os complexes for the design of new highly productive and robust catalysts for the synthesis of chiral and nonchiral alcohols and amines as well as ketones from alcohols. Thus, we hope that this report will promote increased interest in the chemistry of these metal complexes, opening novel opportunities for new catalytic processes as well as the improvement of existing ones.

New ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes bearing disulfide Schiff base ligands and their applications as catalyst for some organic transformations

Schiff base disulfide ligands (H2L(1-6)) were synthesized from the condensation of cystamine with salicylaldehyde(H2L(1)), 5-chlorosalicylaldehyde(H2L(2)), o-vanillin(H2L(3)), 2-hydroxyacetophenone(H2L(4)), 3-methyl-2-hydroxyacetophenone(H2L(5)), and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde(H2L(6)). H2L(1-6) reacts with the ruthenium precursor complex [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3] in benzene giving rise to six new ruthenium(II) complexes of general formula [Ru(CO)L(1-6)]. Characterization of the new complexes was carried out by using elemental and spectral (IR, UV-Vis, NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and Mass) techniques. An octahedral geometry was assigned for all the complexes based on the spectral data obtained. The catalytic efficiency of the new complexes in aldehyde to amide conversion in the presence of NaHCO3, N-alkylation of aniline in the presence of t-BuOK, and transfer hydrogenation of ketones in the presence of iPrOH/KOH reactions were studied. Furthermore, the effect of solvents and catalyst/substrate ratio on the catalytic aldehyde to amide conversion were also discussed.