Ligand-free (Z)-selective transfer semihydrogenation of alkynes catalyzed by in situ generated oxidizable copper nanoparticles

Abstract

Herein, we present (Z)-selective transfer semihydrogenation of alkynes based on in situ generated CuNPs in the presence of hydrogen donors, such as ammonia-borane and a green protic solvent. This environmentally friendly method is characterized by operational simplicity combined with high stereo- and chemoselectivity and functional group compatibility. Auto-oxidation of CuNPs after the completion of a semihydrogenation reaction results in the formation of a water-soluble ammonia complex, so that the catalyst may be reused several times by simple phase-separation with no need for any special regeneration processes. Formed NH₄B(OR)₄ can be easily transformed back into ammonia-borane or into boric acid. In addition, a one-pot tandem sequence involving a Suzuki reaction followed by semihydrogenation was presented, which allows minimization of chemical waste production.