Catalytic C-C bond formation via capture of hydrogenation intermediates.

Although catalytic hydrogenation has been practiced for over a century, use of hydrogen as a terminal reductant in catalytic C-C bond formation has been restricted to processes involving migratory insertion of carbon monoxide, e.g., alkene hydroformylation and related Fischer-Tropsch-type reactions. In an effort to develop hydrogenation as a new method for catalytic cross-coupling, a catalytic system enabling capture of hydrogenation intermediates was recently developed in our lab. These results support the feasibility of developing a broad new family of hydrogen-mediated C-C bond formations.