Advances in Group VI Metal-Catalyzed Homogeneous Hydrogenation and Dehydrogenation Reactions

Transition metal-catalyzed homogeneous hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions for attaining plethora of organic scaffolds have evolved as a key domain of research in academia and industry. These protocols are atom-economic, greener, in line with the goal of sustainability, eventually pave the way for numerous novel environmentally benign methodologies. Appealing progress has been achieved in the realm of homogeneous catalysis utilizing noble metals. Owing to their high cost, less abundance along with toxicity issues led the scientific community to search for sustainable alternatives. In this context, earth- abundant base metals have gained substantial attention culminating enormous progress in recent years, predominantly with pincer-type complexes of nickel, cobalt, iron, and manganese. In this regard, group VI chromium, molybdenum and tungsten complexes have been overlooked and remain underdeveloped despite their earth-abundance and bio-compatibility. This review delineates a comprehensive overview in the arena of homogeneously catalysed (de)hydrogenation reactions using group VI base metals chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten till date. Various reactions have been described; hydrogenation, transfer hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling, hydrogen auto transfer, along with their scope and brief mechanistic insights.

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.