Hydrogenation reactions are employed in a variety of applications, including the reduction of functional groups in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, for processing vegetable oils in the food industry, and in refining petrochemicals. The purpose of our investigation was to optimize reaction conditions for the reduction of an aldehyde to an alcohol with a metal catalyst, a cobalt complex bearing a PNP pincer ligand ((<sup>Cy</sup>PNP)CoCl). For this study, we prepared a mixture of benzaldehyde, sodium triethylborohydride (NaBEt3H), and the catalyst ((<sup>Cy</sup>PNP)CoCl) under an inert atmosphere in a Fisher-Porter vessel and pressurized with hydrogen gas. Catalyst concentration, reaction time and temperature were optimized, and conversion to benzyl alcohol was monitored by gas chromatography (GC) and NMR. In our study, we demonstrate a full conversion of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol with 1 mol% catalyst, 2 bar H2, at 110°C after 12 hrs. Testing and optimization of reduction of a variety of other aldehydes is ongoing, and this will be followed by reduction of different functional groups.

Development of new cobalt(I) pincer complexes for catalytic applications

255th National Meeting (2018)

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