Active ruthenium-(N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes for hydrogenation of ketones

Abstract

Four ruthenium-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes (3–6) have been prepared and the new compounds characterized by C, H, N analyses, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. The reduction of ketones to alcohols via transfer hydrogenation was achieved with catalytic amounts of complexes 3–6 in the presence of t-BuOK. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.