Syngas Instead of Hydrogen Gas as a Reducing Agent─A Strategy To Improve the Selectivity and Efficiency of Organometallic Catalysts

Air-Stable Arene Manganese Complexes as Catalysts for the Syngas-Assisted Direct Reductive Amination, Cyanation of Aldehyde, and CO2 Fixation by Epoxide with High Functional Groups Tolerance

Manganese complexes [(arene)Mn(CO)3]+ were prepared in one step from arenes and Mn(CO)5Br. They were found to be efficient catalysts in the carbonyl cyanation with TMSCN, CO2 fixation by epoxides, and direct reductive amination in the presence of syngas. The amination reaction tolerated various reducible functional groups. The synergy of carbon monoxide and hydrogen in syngas provides high efficiency of the catalytic system. The developed protocols do not require an inert atmosphere, and the catalysts can be handled in air.

Catalytic utilization of converter gas – an industrial waste for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals

From waste to value. An efficient and convenient ruthenium-catalyzed reduction of aromatic nitro compounds using converter gas as a reducing agent to produce valuable pharmaceuticals has been developed.

Sodium Hypophosphite as a Bulk and Environmentally Friendly Reducing Agent in the Reductive Amination

NaH₂PO₂ was found to promote reductive amination. Being nontoxic, stable, environmentally benign, and available in bulk amounts, this reducing agent showed a powerful potential to compete with classical reductants applied in the target process. An E factor of 1 was achieved for the substrate scope. Different carbonyl compounds reacted with amines under the developed conditions. The reaction demonstrated a great compatibility with a wide range of functional groups. Reaction conditions were scaled up to 200-fold.