2. Academic Validation
  3. Hydrogenation of esters to alcohols with a well-defined iron complex

Hydrogenation of esters to alcohols with a well-defined iron complex

  • Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014 Aug 11;53(33):8722-6. doi: 10.1002/anie.201402542.
Svenja Werkmeister 1,  Kathrin Junge,  Bianca Wendt,  Elisabetta Alberico,  Haijun Jiao,  Wolfgang Baumann,  Henrik Junge,  Fabrice Gallou,  Matthias Beller
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 29a, 18059 Rostock (Germany).
PMID: 24890043 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201402542
Abstract

We present the first base-free Fe-catalyzed ester reduction applying molecular hydrogen. Without any additives, a variety of carboxylic acid esters and lactones were hydrogenated with high efficiency. Computations reveal an outer-sphere mechanism involving simultaneous hydrogen transfer from the iron center and the ligand. This assumption is supported by NMR experiments.

Keywords

alcohols; esters; homogeneous catalysis; hydrogenation; iron.

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