Bifunctional catalysts for regioselective hydrogenation and for hydrogenation of highly-substituted alkenes
Abstract
[RhCl(PPh3)2(Ph2PO2CCHCMe2)] catalyses the hydrogenation of highly-substituted acrylic acids in the presence of base by a mechanism involving chelate stabilisation of alkene co-ordination and base-catalysed transesterification of the co-ordinated mixed anhydride; for hexa-2,4-dienoic acid, selective hydrogenation of the αβ double bond occurs.