A dual site catalyst for mild, selective nitrile reduction

Abstract

We report a novel ruthenium bis(pyrazolyl)borate scaffold that enables cooperative reduction reactivity in which boron and ruthenium centers work in concert to effect selective nitrile reduction. The pre-catalyst compound [κ³-(1-pz)₂HB(N = CHCH₃)]Ru(cymene)⁺ TfO⁻ (pz = pyrazolyl) was synthesized using readily-available materials through a straightforward route, thus making it an appealing catalyst for a number of reactions.