Highly Active Metal-Free Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Unsaturated Nitrogen-Containing Compounds

New highly active ansa-ammonium borate catalysts for the direct metal-free hydrogenation of imines were prepared by tuning of the basicity and steric bulkiness of their amine moieties. The highest catalytic activity among previously reported organocatalytic systems was shown for a wide range of nitrogen-containing substrates. The first example of asymmetric imine hydrogenation based on the ansa-ammonium borate concept was demonstrated. Furthermore, effective catalyst recovery by extraction of the acidic solution with an organic solvent followed by dehydration with TMSBr was elaborated. The initial findings highlight the development of more effective chiral ansa-ammonium borates for enantioselective hydrogenation. Therefore, the progress achieved in the ansa-ammonium borate concept makes it very promising for further elaboration with the aim to obtain industrially applicable catalysts.