Iron-catalysed 1,4-reduction of quinones for the synthesis of hydroquinones

Abstract

Hydroquinones can be used as precursors to synthesise a variety of bioactive molecules. Although many researchers have developed synthesis methods for hydroquinones, several drawbacks, such as poor environmental friendliness, low atom efficiency, high cost, and potential toxicity, remain unresolved. Therefore, the development of more environmentally friendly, atom-efficient, and cheaper alternatives is becoming increasingly important. In this paper, we report a general method for the synthesis of hydroquinones using cheap metal-based pre-catalysts, namely (cyclopentadienone)iron complexes (CICs). CICs catalyse the 1,4-reduction of quinones to give a range of hydroquinones in high yields (up to 99%) and present a good substrate scope. Furthermore, the practicality of the synthetic methodology was also evaluated, and good results were obtained.