Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications - digital archive 

Abstract

RuCl₂[P(C₆H₅)₂OCH₂CH₂OCH₃]₂ has efficiently catalyzed the reduction of cyclohexanone and heptanal by sodium formate in chlorobenzene-water, using cetylpyridinium bromide as the phase transfer catalyst. In both cases, the reduction was first order both in the substrate and in the initial concentration of the catalyst. The catalyst activity in the aldehyde reduction could be increased by the addition of the free ligand while in the ketone reduction the ligand in excess decreased the reaction rate. Several other phosphines of the type P(C₆H₅)₂L where L = C₆H₅, C₄H₉, C₂H₅OCH₂CH₂, C₄H₉OCH₂CH₂, 1,4-dioxanemethyl, tetrahydrofurfuryl, and P(i-C₃H₇)₃) gave the less efficient catalysts. Kinetic and activation data for the reduction of both substrates are reported.