Guerbet Reaction of Ethanol to n-Butanol Catalyzed by Iridium Complexes

Ethanol was efficiently converted into n-butanol in the presence of a catalytic amount of [Ir(acac)(cod)], 1,7-octadiene, and EtONa. This method provides an efficient alternative approach to n-butanol which is conventionally manufactured by oxo process of propylene with H-2 and CO followed by hydrogenation of butyraldehyde.