F. Schömberg, Y. Zi and I. Vilotijevic
Chem. Commun., 2018,54, 3266-3269
DOI:
10.1039/C8CC00058A,
Communication
Ynones are efficiently reduced with a mild hydride donor in the presence of a catalytic amount of nucleophilic phosphines. The reactions are selective 1,2-reductions that give propargyl alcohols in yields of up to 96%. It is proposed that success in these reactions depends on the activation of ynones by a Lewis base catalyst. A protic additive plays a key role in suppressing the undesired reaction pathways and accelerating the 1,2-reductions.
