Phosphine-imidazolyl ligands for the efficient ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of carboxylic esters
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Updated: May 21, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
Published on: April 10, 2015
Kathrin Junge1, Bianca Wendt, Felix Alexander Westerhaus
1Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a, 18059 Rostock, Germany.
Abstract:
The synthesis of phosphine-imidazolyl ligands 1 and 2 in good yields is presented. In combination with [{Ru(benzene)Cl(2)}(2)], ligands 1 c and 1 e formed efficient catalyst systems for the selective hydrogenation of various carboxylic esters into their corresponding primary alcohols. Furthermore, the structures of four ruthenium complexes with ligands 1 b, 1 c, 1 d, and 1 e were determined by X-ray crystallography, which showed the formation of different coordination modes depending on the ligand structure.
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