Catalyst design for iron-promoted reductions: an iron disilyl-dicarbonyl complex bearing weakly coordinating η2-(H-Si) moieties.

Iron disilyl dicarbonyl complex 1, in which two H-Si moieties of the 1,2-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene ligand were coordinated to the iron center in an η(2)-(H-Si) fashion, was synthesized by the reaction of (η(4)-C6H8)Fe(CO)3 with 2 equiv. of 1,2-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene under photo-irradiation. Complex 1 demonstrated high catalytic activity toward the hydrogenation of alkenes, the hydrosilylation of alkenes and the reduction of carbonyl compounds.

Hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity tunable hyperbranched polystyrenes as novel supports for transition-metal nanoparticles.

Development of a new preparative procedure for hyperbranched polystyrene having Cl end groups (HPS-Cl) enables to prepare HPS-NR(3)(+)Cl(-), for which the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity is tunable by the R groups. The resulting ammonium salts behave as a good support of platinum nanoparticles, which is useful for catalytic biphasic hydrogenation of alkenes.

New catalyst systems for iron-catalyzed hydrosilane reduction of carboxamides.

A heptanuclear iron carbonyl cluster, [Fe(3)(CO)(11)(μ-H)](2)Fe(DMF)(4) (4), is found to be a highly efficient catalyst for the reduction of various carboxamides by 1,2-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene (BDSB), which makes possible reducing the amount of the catalyst, shortening the reaction time, and lowering the reaction temperatures.