A General and Highly Selective Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of N-Heteroarenes under Mild Reaction Conditions

Herein, a general and efficient method for the homogeneous cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation of N-heterocycles, under mild reaction conditions, is reported. Key to success is the use of the tetradentate ligand tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl)phosphine). This non-noble metal catalyst system allows the selective hydrogenation of heteroarenes in the presence of a broad range of other sensitive reducible groups.