Ruthenium-catalyzed N-alkylation of amines and sulfonamides using borrowing hydrogen methodology.

The alkylation of amines by alcohols has been achieved using 0.5 mol % [Ru(p-cymene)Cl(2)](2) with the bidentate phosphines dppf or DPEphos as the catalyst. Primary amines have been converted into secondary amines, and secondary amines into tertiary amines, including the syntheses of Piribedil, Tripelennamine, and Chlorpheniramine.

A mechanistic investigation into the elimination of phosphonium salts from rhodium-TRIPHOS complexes under methanol carbonylation conditions.

Phosphine modified rhodium complexes are currently the topic of considerable research as methanol carbonylation catalysts, but often suffer from poor stability. This paper reports on an investigation into how coordination mode affects the elimination of phosphonium salts from rhodium complexes, namely [trans-RhCl(CO)(PPh3)2] 1, [RhCl(CO)(dppe)] 2, [RhCl(CO)(dppb)]2 3, [Rh(TRIPHOS)(CO)2]Cl 4. These complexes are all potential pre-catalysts for methanol carbonylation.