Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Alkynes to (Z)-Alkenes Using an Air-Stable Base Metal Catalyst

A highly selective hydrogenation of alkynes using an air-stable and readily available manganese catalyst has been achieved. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions and tolerates various functional groups, resulting in (Z)-alkenes and allylic alcohols in high yields. Mechanistic experiments suggest that the reaction proceeds via a bifunctional activation involving metal-ligand cooperativity.