CH2 Linkage Effects on the Reactivity of Bis(aminophosphine)–Ruthenium Complexes for Selective Hydrogenation of Esters into Alcohols

Xiaolong Fang; Mingjun Sun; Jianwei Zheng; Bin Li; Linmin Ye; Xiaoping Wang; Zexing Cao; Hongping Zhu; Youzhu Yuan

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04362-9

Scientific Reports (Jun 2017)

CH2 Linkage Effects on the Reactivity of Bis(aminophosphine)–Ruthenium Complexes for Selective Hydrogenation of Esters into Alcohols

Xiaolong Fang,
Mingjun Sun,
Jianwei Zheng,
Bin Li,
Linmin Ye,
Xiaoping Wang,
Zexing Cao,
Hongping Zhu,
Youzhu Yuan

Affiliations

Xiaolong Fang: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Mingjun Sun: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Jianwei Zheng: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Bin Li: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Linmin Ye: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Xiaoping Wang: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Zexing Cao: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Hongping Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University
Youzhu Yuan: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols–Ethers–Esters, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04362-9
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract A novel ruthenium complex binding to two subtly different aminophosphine ligands, (o-PPh2C6H4CH2NH2)(o-PPh2C6H4NH2)RuCl2, was successfully isolated. This bis(aminophosphine)–ruthenium complex shows efficient activity in both dimethyl oxalate (DMO) and methyl benzoate (MB) hydrogenation. On the contrast, similar complexes (o-PPh2C6H4NH2)2RuCl2 and (o-PPh2C6H4CH2NH2)2RuCl2, can only effectively catalyze the hydrogenation of DMO and MB, respectively. Our experimental studies in combination of theoretical calculations reveal that the remarkable substrate selectivity in the hydrogenation of esters arises from the nonbonding interactions operated by the CH2 linkage of the ligand.

Published in Scientific Reports

ISSN: 2045-2322 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine; Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/srep/

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