RuCl3 in poly(ethylene glycol): A highly efficient and recyclable catalyst for the conjugate addition of nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles

Article abstract of DOI:10.1055/s-2005-870010

The 1,4-conjugate addition of primary, secondary and aromatic amines, thiols, and carbamate to α,β-unsaturated compounds mediated by a catalytic amount (0.5 mol%) of RuCl₃ in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) provides the desired β-substituted carbonyls in high yields. In particular, we found that primary aliphatic and aromatic amines produced the single adducts as the sole products in very high yields with RuCl₃-PEG. RuCl ₃-PEG was readily recycled via solvent precipitation with efficient recyclability as evidenced by high yields. Its properties of low sensitivity toward moisture and oxygen, high tolerance of different functional groups, and efficient recyclability make RuCl₃-PEG suitable for both laboratory and industrial scale synthesis of β-substituted carbonyls. Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart.