A molecularly defined iron-catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/chem.201300660

A selective iron-based catalyst system for the hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to allylic alcohols is presented. Applying the defined iron-tetraphos complex [FeF(L)][BF₄] (L=P(PhPPh ₂)₃) in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid a broad range of aldehydes are reduced in high yields using low catalyst loadings (0.05-1 mol %). Excellent chemoselectivity for the reduction of aldehydes in the presence of other reducible moieties, for example, ketones, olefins, esters, etc. is achieved. Based on the in situ detected hydride species [FeH(H ₂)(L)]⁺ a catalytic cycle is proposed that is supported by computational calculations. Copyright