Propylene Carbonate as a Solvent for Asymmetric Hydrogenations

Abstract

A penny saved is a penny earned: The use of propylene carbonate as the solvent in iridium-catalyzed hydrogenations of nonfunctionalized olefins allows efficient catalyst recycling through the formation of two-phase mixtures with nonpolar solvents such as n-hexane. In the picture, the hydrogenated tetrahydronaphthalene derivative is extracted into the hydrocarbon phase.