Development of ruthenium catalyzed hydrogenative carbonyl addition reactions

Metal-catalyzed, hydrogenative methods for carbon-carbon bond formation are attractive alternatives to traditional carbonyl addition reactions. Through in situ generation of aldehyde and organometallic species, these redox-triggered reactions circumvent the need for preactivation of reactive partners, thereby providing a more atom economic, efficient approach to carbonyl addition products. Efforts have been focused on the development of ruthenium-catalyzed coupling reactions of primary and secondary alcohols to basic feedstock chemicals and easily accessible and stable unsaturated compounds. To perform highly stereoselective reactions, investigation into the factors that control stereoselectivity in ruthenium catalyzed transfer hydrogenative couplings was undertaken. As a critical tool for the construction of organic molecules, modernizing methods for carbonyl addition can contribute to the evolution of synthetic organic methodology.