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The use of bis(NHC) manganese(I) complexes 3 as catalysts for the hydrogenation of esters was investigated. For that purpose, a series of complexes has been synthesized via an improved two step procedure utilizing bis(NHC)‐BEt3 adducts. By applying complexes 3 with KHBEt3 as additive, various aromatic and aliphatic esters were hydrogenated successfully at mild temperatures and low catalyst loadings, highlighting the efficiency of the novel catalytic system. The versatility of the developed catalytic system was further demonstrated by the hydrogenation of other substrate classes like ketones, nitriles, N‐heteroarenes and alkenes. Mechanistic experiments and DFT calculations indicate an inner sphere mechanism with the loss of one CO ligand and reveal the role of BEt3 as cocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A direct and selective synthesis of α,β‐unsaturated piperidones by a new palladium‐catalyzed cascade carbonylation is described. In the presented protocol, easily available propargylic alcohols react with aliphatic amines to provide a broad variety of interesting heterocycles. Key to the success of this transformation is a remarkable catalytic cleavage of the present carbon–carbon triple bond by using a specific catalyst with 2‐diphenylphosphinopyridine as ligand and appropriate reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies and control experiments revealed branched unsaturated acid 11 as crucial intermediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of hydroxy‐functionalized phosphonium salts were studied as bifunctional catalysts for the conversion of CO2 with epoxides under mild and solvent‐free conditions. The reaction in the presence of a phenol‐based phosphonium iodide proceeded via a first order rection kinetic with respect to the substrate. Notably, in contrast to the aliphatic analogue, the phenol‐based catalyst showed no product inhibition. The temperature dependence of the reaction rate was investigated, and the activation energy for the model reaction was determined from an Arrhenius‐plot (Ea=39.6 kJ mol−1). The substrate scope was also evaluated. Under the optimized reaction conditions, 20 terminal epoxides were converted at room temperature to the corresponding cyclic carbonates, which were isolated in yields up to 99 %. The reaction is easily scalable and was performed on a scale up to 50 g substrate. Moreover, this method was applied in the synthesis of the antitussive agent dropropizine starting from epichlorohydrin and phenylpiperazine. Furthermore, DFT calculations were performed to rationalize the mechanism and the high efficiency of the phenol‐based phosphonium iodide catalyst. The calculation confirmed the activation of the epoxide via hydrogen bonding for the iodide salt, which facilitates the ring‐opening step. Notably, the effective Gibbs energy barrier regarding this step is 97 kJ mol−1 for the bromide and 72 kJ mol−1 for the iodide salt, which explains the difference in activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well‐defined iron PNP pincer complex catalyst [Fe(H)(BH4)(CO)(HN{CH2CH2P(iPr)2}2] was used for the catalytic dehydrogenation of secondary alcohols to give the corresponding ketones. Using acetone as inexpensive hydrogen acceptor enables the oxidation with good to excellent yields. DFT computations indicate an outer‐sphere mechanism and support the importance of an acceptor to achieve this transformation under milder conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, structurally defined manganese pincer complexes catalyze the dehydrogenation of aqueous methanol to hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which is a transformation of interest with regard to the implementation of a hydrogen and methanol economy. Excellent long-term stability was demonstrated for the Mn-PNP iPr catalyst, as a turnover of more than 20 000 was reached. In addition to methanol, other important hydrogen carriers were also successfully dehydrogenated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first manganese-catalyzed hydrogenation of esters to alcohols has been developed. The combination of Mn(CO)5Br with [HN(CH2CH2P(Et)2)2] leads to a mixture of cationic and neutral Mn PNP pincer complexes, which enable the reduction of various ester substrates, including aromatic and aliphatic esters as well as diesters and lactones. Notably, related pincer complexes with isopropyl or cyclohexyl substituents showed very low activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first selective iridium-catalyzed hydrogenations of esters are presented. By using a commercially available iridium pincer complex more than 20 different aromatic, aliphatic, and (hetero)cyclic esters are reduced to the corresponding alcohols in moderate to very good yields. An outer-sphere mechanism is proposed on the basis of our computational analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Various Ru(L1)(L2) (1) complexes (L1 =2,2′-bipyridines, 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridines, 6-(4S)-4-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl-2,2′-bipyridinyl or 2,2′-bipyridinyl-6-carboxylate; L2 =pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate, pyridine-2-carboxylate or 2,2′-bipyridinyl-6-carboxylate) have been synthesized (or in situ generated) and tested on epoxidation of olefins utilizing 30% aqueous H2O2. The complexes containing pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate show extraordinarily high catalytic activity. Based on the stereoselective performance of chiral ruthenium complexes containing non-racemic 2,2′-bipyridines including 6-[(4S)-4-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl]-[2,2′]bipyridinyl new insights on the reaction intermediates and reaction pathway of the ruthenium-catalyzed enantioselective epoxidation are proposed. In addition, a simplified protocol for epoxidation of olefins using urea hydrogen peroxide complex as oxidizing agent has been developed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights from the article: Keywords: homogeneous catalysis; iron; oxidation; pincer ligands; transfer dehydrogenation B The Front Cover b shows the transfer dehydrogenation of secondary alcohols with a well-defined iron-PNP-pincer complex. Homogeneous catalysis, iron, oxidation, pincer ligands, transfer dehydrogenation.

The cover page of the journal "Angewandte Chemie International Edition" is presented.

Abstract: Oxidative coupling of 3-(3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid methyl ester (2) gave dimethyl 3,3′-(5,5′-di-tert-butyl-6,6′-dihydroxybiphenyl-3,3′-diyl)-dipropionate (1c), which upon phosphorylation/transesterification with a phosphochloridite derived from (R)-binaphthol, formed the new unsymmetrical binaphthol-bridged diphosphite 4. A rhodium catalyst based on 4 as ligand gave predominantly iso-selectivity in the hydroformylation of selected styrenes but opposite regioselectivity with 2,6-disubstituted derivatives. New chelate metal complexes (acac)RhL, PdCl2L and PtCl2L have been synthesized by reacting 4 with (acac)Rh(CO)2, PdCl2(MeCN)2 and PtCl2(COD), respectively. The structure of obtained compounds is determined based on 1H, 13C, 31P and 195Pt NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]