Catalytic Hydrogenation of Urea Derivatives and Polyureas

We present herein the catalytic hydrogenation of various urea derivatives to amines and methanol. The reaction is catalyzed by a ruthenium or an iridium Macho pincer complex and produces amine and methanol in very good to excellent yields. Moreover, we also expand this concept to demonstrate the first example of the hydrogenative depolymerization of polyureas to produce diamines and methanol in moderate yields.

Automated summary

The study introduces a method for catalytic hydrogenation of various urea derivatives to produce amines and methanol with high yields using ruthenium or iridium Macho pincer complex catalysts. Additionally, the concept is expanded to demonstrate the first example of hydrogenative depolymerization of polyureas to produce diamines and methanol with moderate yields.