Solution pH: A Selectivity Switch in Aqueous Organometallic Catalysis-Hydrogenation of Unsaturated Aldehydes Catalyzed by Sulfonatophenylphosphane-Ru Complexes

Ferenc Joó; József Kovács; Attila Cs Bényei; Ágnes Kathó

doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19980420)37:7<969::AID-ANIE969>3.0.CO;2-9

Solution pH: A Selectivity Switch in Aqueous Organometallic Catalysis-Hydrogenation of Unsaturated Aldehydes Catalyzed by Sulfonatophenylphosphane-Ru Complexes

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 1998 Apr 20;37(7):969-970. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19980420)37:7<969::AID-ANIE969>3.0.CO;2-9.

Authors

Ferenc Joó¹, József Kovács¹, Attila Cs Bényei¹, Ágnes Kathó¹

Affiliation

¹ Research Group on Homogeneous Catalysis, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Institute of Physical Chemistry, Lajos Kossuth University, P. O. Box 7, H-4010 Debrecen (Hungary), Fax: (+36) 52-310936.

PMID: 29711468
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19980420)37:7<969::AID-ANIE969>3.0.CO;2-9

Abstract

The equilibribrium distribution of water-soluble ruthenium hydrides [HRuCl(tppms)₃ ] and [H₂ Ru(tppms)₄ ] (tppms = (3-sulfonatophenyl)diphenylphosphane) in the reaction with H₂ is governed by the pH value. As a consequence, the selectivity in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde for reaction at C=C or C=O can be completely inverted by changing the pH value (see drawing below).

Keywords: Aldehydes; Biphasic catalysis; Homogeneous catalysis; Hydrogenations; Ruthenium; Two-phase catalysis.