Water-soluble and air-stable triruthenium carbonyl cluster Ru3 CO.9 TPPMS.3 TPPMSssodium diphenylphosphi-nobenzene-m-sulphonate. was used as catalyst precursor to hydrogenated acrylic acid in good yield. The cluster also catalyzed the hydroformylation of propylene with syngas in water, the main product is n-butyraldehyde; side-products are iso-butyraldehyde and a small amount of 1-butyl and isobutyl alcohols. At 1208C and propylene, CO and H2 partial pressures of 0.7 MPa, 2.0 MPa and 2.0MPa, respectively, catalytic turnover of 61.2 mol productsrmol cluster h and product n:i ratio of 15.9 were obtained. For ethylene hydroformylation, the main product is propanal; side-products are 3-pentanone, 1-propanol and 2-methyl-pent-2-en-1-al. The catalyst was characterized before and after the reaction by IR and. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the results were discussed as related to the possible catalytic active species. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The interaction of [Ir(COD)Cl]2 with chiral tetradentate diaminodiphosphine ligands gave chiral diaminodiphosphine-Ir(I) complexes, which were characterized by IR, NMR and CD. The new chiral iridium(I) complex catalysts were applied to asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of various aromatic ketones using 2-propanol as a source of hydrogen. The results showed that the corresponding chiral alcohols could be obtained with high activity (up to 99.4% yield) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99.0% ee) under mild conditions. Propiophenone was a preferred substrate with respect to catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in the presence of base. The catalytic turnover reached 4780mol product/mol iridium and the turnover frequency was as high as 1593h−1 at 55℃.

The new chiral ligands (S,S)-N,N%-bis[o-(diphenylphosphino)benzylidene]1,2-diiminocyclohexane, [(S,S)-1] and (S,S)-N,N%-bis[o-diphenylphosphino]benzyl-1,2-diaminocyclohexane, [(S,S)-2] have been prepared. The interaction of [(S,S)-1] and [(S,S)-2] with [Rh(COD)Cl]2 afforded the corresponding cationic rhodium complexes [(S,S)-3][X] and [(S,S)-4][X] (X PF6, BF4 or ClO4), respectively. [(S,S)-1], [(S,S)-2], [(S,S)-3][X] and [(S,S)-4][X] have been fully characterized by elemental analyses and spectroscopic methods. These chiral cationic rhodium complexes serve as catalytst precursors for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives in 2-propanol and [(S,S)-4][PF6] acts as an excellent catalyst in the reduction of m-chloroacetophenone, giving the corresponding optical alcohols in 99% yield and up to 94% ee.

The chiral diiminodiphosphine ligand, [(R,R)-P2N2], has been prepared by the condensation of o-(diphenyl-phosphino)benzaldehyde and 1,2-diaminoeyclohexane. [(R,R)-P2N2] was reduced with excess NaBH4 in refluxing ethanol to afford the corresponding diaminodi-phosphine ligand [(R,R)-P2(NH)2]. The interaction of [(R,R)-P2(NH)2] with trans-RuCl2(DMSO)4 gave the chiral ruthenium complex [(R,R)-RuP2(NH)2] in 84% yield. The reaction of [(R,R)-RuP2(NH)2] with poly-(acrylic acid) using dieyclohexylcarbodiimine as the coupling agent, gave water soluble poly(acrylic acid salt)-supported chiral ruthenium complex [PAA-(R,R)-RuP2(NH)2]. These chiral ligands and ruthenium complexes have been fully characterized by microanalysis and IR, NMR spectroscopic methods. The polymer-bound ruthenium complex [PAA-(R,R)-RuP2(NH)2] as catalyst was used in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone in 2-propanol, producing the 1-phenyl-ethanol in 95% yield and 96% ee. The catalyst was reused twice with some loss of activity and enantioselec-tivity. Copyright

The interaction of Ru(OAc)2(Ph3P)2 with one equivalent of N,N'-bis[o-(di-phenylphosphino) benzylidene]ethylenediamine (P2NzC2) in refluxing dichloromethanc gave trans-Ru(OAc)2(PzN2C2)'2H20 (I) in moderate yield (63%); in refluxing-toluene, it gave a red solid which upon recrystallization in CHC13 gave trans-RuC12(P2NzC2)" 2H20 (II) in good yield (92%). Compound II could also be prepared in good yield (85%) via the interaction of RuCI2(DMSO)4 with one equivalent of P2NzC2 in refluxing toluene. The interaction of RuCI2(DMSO)4 with one equivalent of N,N'-bis[o-(diphenylphosphino) benzylidene]- 1,3-diaminopropane (P2N2C3), N,N'-bis[o-(diphenylphosphino)benzyl] ethylenediamine (P2N2C2H4) and N,N'-bis[o-(diphenylphosphino)benzamido]ethane (P2N2C2-amide) in refluxing toluene gave trans-RuCl2(P2N2C3) (Ⅲ), trans-RuC12(P2N2C2H4) (IV) and trans-RuC12(P2N2C2-amide) (V) in good yield, respectively. The interaction of Fe(C104)2" 6H20 with one equivalent of P2N2C2 and P2N2C2H4 in refluxing acetonitrile gave trans-[Fe(P2N2C2)(CH3CN)2](CI04)2 (VI) and trans-[Fe(P2N2C2H4) (CH3CN)2](CIO4)2 (VII), respectively. Interaction of FeC12-4H20 with one equivalent of N,N'-bis[o-(diphenylphosphino)benzylidene]-l,6-diaminohexane (P2N2C6) in refluxing gave trans-FeC12(P2N2C6) (VIII). Complexes I-VIII have been fully characterized by ana-lytical and spectroscopic methods. The structure of IV has been established by an X-ray diffraction study. Compound II could be reduced to compound IV with NaBH4 in ethanol and oxidized to V with aqueous H202 acetonitrile. Catalytic studies showed that both Ⅱ and IV were effected catalysts for the hydrogenation of acrylic acid to propionic acid.