Iron Group Hydrides in Noyori Bifunctional Catalysis

This is an overview of the hydride-containing catalysts prepared in the Morris group for the efficient hydrogenation of simple ketones, imines, nitriles and esters and the asymmetric hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation of prochiral ketones and imines. The work was inspired by and makes use of Noyori metal-ligand bifunctional concepts involving the hydride-ruthenium amine-hydrogen HRuNH design. It describes the synthesis and some catalytic properties of hydridochloro, dihydride and amide complexes of ruthenium and in one case, osmium, with monodentate, bidentate and tetradentate phosphorus and nitrogen donor ligands. The iron hydride that has been identified in a very effective asymmetric transfer hydrogenation process is also mentioned. The link between the HMNH structure and the sense of enantioinduction is demonstrated by use of simple transition state models.