Iridium-catalyzed isomerization of primary allylic alcohols under mild reaction conditions

The isomerization of primary allylic alcohols into the corresponding aldehydes has been accomplished using an analogue of Crabtree's iridium hydrogenation catalyst and by adequately tuning the experimental conditions. A wide range of substrates is converted quantitatively into the desired aldehyde at room temperature in expedient reaction times by using catalyst loading as low as 0.25 mol %. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.