The selective coupling of alcohols is a fascinating yet challenging approach for upgrading alcohols. Herein, we accomplished the controlled production of β-disubstituted ketones or upgraded secondary alcohols via the...The selective coupling of alcohols is a fascinating yet challenging approach for upgrading alcohols. Herein, we accomplished the controlled production of β-disubstituted ketones or upgraded secondary alcohols via the Ir-catalyzed cross-coupling of secondary alcohols in excellent yields with broad substrate scopes. This selective control was achieved by using an in-situ generated monoNHC-Ir or a tris-NHC-Ir complex as the catalysts, respectively. Mechanistic studies revealed that the delicate balance between dehydrogenation and hydrogenation abilities of these bifunctional catalysts is crucial for achieving different selectivity. The tris-NHC-Ir complex effectively facilitated dehydrogenation of alcohols and hydrogenation of intermediates, leading to the desired upgraded secondary alcohols. Conversely, the high dehydrogenation ability of the mono-NHC-Ir complex promoted the conversion of formed secondary alcohols back to ketones.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22271060)the Department of Chemistry at Fudan University。
文摘The selective coupling of alcohols is a fascinating yet challenging approach for upgrading alcohols. Herein, we accomplished the controlled production of β-disubstituted ketones or upgraded secondary alcohols via the Ir-catalyzed cross-coupling of secondary alcohols in excellent yields with broad substrate scopes. This selective control was achieved by using an in-situ generated monoNHC-Ir or a tris-NHC-Ir complex as the catalysts, respectively. Mechanistic studies revealed that the delicate balance between dehydrogenation and hydrogenation abilities of these bifunctional catalysts is crucial for achieving different selectivity. The tris-NHC-Ir complex effectively facilitated dehydrogenation of alcohols and hydrogenation of intermediates, leading to the desired upgraded secondary alcohols. Conversely, the high dehydrogenation ability of the mono-NHC-Ir complex promoted the conversion of formed secondary alcohols back to ketones.
