Tetrahedron Letters

Catalytic hydrogenation of unactivated amides enabled by hydrogenation of catalyst precursor

T Miura, IE Held, S Oishi, M Naruto, S Saito

Index: Miura, Takashi; Held, Ingmar E.; Oishi, Shunsuke; Naruto, Masayuki; Saito, Susumu Tetrahedron Letters, 2013 , vol. 54, # 21 p. 2674 - 2678

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Citation Number: 24

Abstract

A general method for catalytic hydrogenation of unactivated amides was achieved. During the catalyst induction period, a novel structural change was observed involving full hydrogenation of the interior unsaturated bonds of the pyridines of the Ru-containing catalyst precursor. Based on this observation, the mechanism of amide hydrogenation may involve a two-step pathway, wherein the Ru catalyst having an H–Ru–N–H functionality is ...