Ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of amino- and amido-substituted acetophenones

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/ejoc.201301020

The ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of electron-rich amino-substituted acetophenones is reported. Variation of the reductant, ligands, base, and solvent allowed reaction optimization. A key discovery was the use of 1,4-butanediol as an irreversible reducing agent, which significantly improved the conversion. A range of amino- and amido-substituted aryl ketones were explored, and they all gave the corresponding alcohols in good yield, which demonstrates the wider applicability of this process. The ruthenium-catalyzed reduction of electron-rich amino-substituted acetophenones with 1,4-butanediol as an irreversible reducing agent is reported. Optimization of the conditions and variation of the amino substituent are explored as is the use of amido- and sulfonamidoacetophenones with varying results. Copyright