Metal-ligand cooperative activation of nitriles by a ruthenium complex with a de-aromatized PNN pincer ligand.

The pincer complex (PNN)RuH(CO), with a de-aromatized pyridine in the ligand backbone, is shown to react with nitriles in a metal-ligand cooperative manner. This leads to the formation of a series of complexes with new Ru-N(nitrile) and C(ligand)-C(nitrile) bonds. The initial nitrile cycloaddition products, the ketimido complexes 3, have a Brønsted basic (nitrile-derived) Ru-N fragment.

A metal-ligand cooperative pathway for intermolecular oxa-Michael additions to unsaturated nitriles.

An unprecedented catalytic pathway for oxa-Michael addition reactions of alcohols to unsaturated nitriles has been revealed using a PNN pincer ruthenium catalyst with a dearomatized pyridine backbone. The isolation of a catalytically competent Ru-dieneamido complex from the reaction between the Ru catalyst and pentenenitrile in combination with DFT calculations supports a mechanism in which activation of the nitrile through metal-ligand cooperativity is a key step. The nitrile-derived Ru-N moiety is sufficiently Brønsted basic to activate the alcohol and initiate conjugate addition of the alkoxide to the α,β-unsaturated fragment.

Alkene isomerisation catalysed by a ruthenium PNN pincer complex.

The [Ru(CO)H(PNN)] pincer complex based on a dearomatised PNN ligand (PNN: 2-di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl-6-diethylaminomethylpyridine) was examined for its ability to isomerise alkenes. The isomerisation reaction proceeded under mild conditions after activation of the complex with alcohols. Variable-temperature (VT) NMR experiments to investigate the role of the alcohol in the mechanism lend credence to the hypothesis that the first step involves the formation of a rearomatised alkoxide complex.

Selective conversion of polyenes to monoenes by RuCl(3) -catalyzed transfer hydrogenation: the case of cashew nutshell liquid.

Cardanol, a constituent of cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), was subjected to transfer hydrogenation catalyzed by RuCl(3) using isopropanol as a reductant. The side chain of cardanol, which is a mixture of a triene, a diene, and a monoene, was selectively reduced to the monoene. Surprisingly, it is the C8-C9 double bond that is retained with high selectivity.