Chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of aldehydes in aqueous media catalyzed by a well-defined iron(II) hydride complex.

Abstract: An iron(II) hydride PNP pincer complex is applied as catalyst for the chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of aldehydes using an aqueous solution of sodium formate as hydrogen source. A variety of aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic aldehydes could be reduced to the corresponding alcohols in good to excellent yields with a catalyst loading of 1.0 mol% at 80 °C and 1 h reaction time. If present, C-C double bonds remained unaffected in course of the reaction, even when they are conjugated to the carbonyl group of the aldehyde. The catalyst's lifetime and activity could be improved when the reactions were conducted in an ionic liquid-based micro emulsion.