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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Retropinacol/Cross-pinacol Coupling Reactions - A Catalytic Access to 1,2-Unsymmetrical Diols
Published on: April 4, 2014
Ru-Catalyzed Completely Deoxygenative Coupling of 2-Arylethanols through Base-Induced Net Decarbonylation
Seetharaman Manojveer1, Sebastian J K Forrest1, Magnus T Johnson1
1Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, 22100, Lund, Sweden.
Abstract:
Substituted arylethanols can be coupled by using a readily available Ru catalyst in a fully deoxygenative manner to produce hydrocarbon chains in one step. Control experiments indicate that the first deoxygenation occurs through an aldol condensation, whereas the second occurs through a base-induced net decarbonylation. This double deoxygenation enables further development in the use of alcohols as versatile and green alkylating reagents, as well as in other fields, such as deoxygenation and upgrading of overfunctionalized biomass to produce hydrocarbons.
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