Borrowing Hydrogen for Organic Synthesis.

Borrowing hydrogen is a process that is used to diversify the synthetic utility of commodity alcohols. A catalyst first oxidizes an alcohol by removing hydrogen to form a reactive carbonyl compound. This intermediate can undergo a diverse range of subsequent transformations before the catalyst returns the "borrowed" hydrogen to liberate the product and regenerate the catalyst. In this way, alcohols may be used as alkylating agents whereby the sole byproduct of this one-pot reaction is water. In recent decades, significant advances have been made in this area, demonstrating many effective methods to access valuable products. This outlook highlights the diversity of metal and biocatalysts that are available for this approach, as well as the various transformations that can be performed, focusing on a selection of the most significant and recent advances. By succinctly describing and conveying the versatility of borrowing hydrogen chemistry, we anticipate its uptake will increase across a wider scientific audience, expanding opportunities for further development.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Acyl Anion Organocatalysis by Ball-Milling.

The ability to conduct N-heterocyclic carbene-catalysed acyl anion chemistry under ball-milling conditions is reported for the first time. This process has been exemplified through applications to intermolecular-benzoin, intramolecular-benzoin, intermolecular-Stetter and intramolecular-Stetter reactions including asymmetric examples and demonstrates that this mode of mechanistically complex organocatalytic reaction can operate under solvent-minimised conditions.

Manganese-Catalyzed N-Alkylation of Sulfonamides Using Alcohols.

An efficient manganese-catalyzed N-alkylation of sulfonamides has been developed. This borrowing hydrogen approach employs a well-defined and bench-stable Mn(I) PNP pincer precatalyst, allowing benzylic and simple primary aliphatic alcohols to be employed as alkylating agents. A diverse range of aryl and alkyl sulfonamides undergoes mono- N-alkylation in excellent isolated yields (32 examples, 85% average yield).

Recent advances in homogeneous borrowing hydrogen catalysis using earth-abundant first row transition metals.

The review highlights the recent advances (2013-present) in the use of earth-abundant first row transition metals in homogeneous borrowing hydrogen catalysis. The utility of catalysts based on Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu to promote a diverse array of important C-C and C-N bond forming reactions is described, including discussion on reaction mechanisms, scope and limitations, and future challenges in this burgeoning area of sustainable catalysis.

FLP-Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation of Silyl Enol Ethers.

Herein we report the first catalytic transfer hydrogenation of silyl enol ethers. This metal free approach employs tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TMP) as a commercially available FLP catalyst system and naturally occurring γ-terpinene as a dihydrogen surrogate. A variety of silyl enol ethers undergo efficient hydrogenation, with the reduced products isolated in excellent yields (29 examples, 82 % average yield).

Exploring Tandem Ruthenium-Catalyzed Hydrogen Transfer and SNAr Chemistry.

A hydrogen-transfer strategy for the catalytic functionalization of benzylic alcohols via electronic arene activation, accessing a diverse range of bespoke diaryl ethers and aryl amines in excellent isolated yields (38 examples, 70% average yield), is reported. Taking advantage of the hydrogen-transfer approach, the oxidation level of the functionalized products can be selected by judicious choice of simple and inexpensive additives.