Abstract
A series of new hydridocarbonyl osmium(Ⅱ) complexes, OsHCl(CO)(PPh3)(L-L)[L-L=Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2 (n=1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3), cis-Ph2PCH=CHPPh2 (4), and Fe(η5-C5H4PPh2)2 (5)] has been synthesized from OsHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 and chelating diphosphines. These complexes have been characterized by IR, 1H NMR and elemental analysis. The catalytic activities of these complexes both for the transfer hydrogenation of trans-cinnamaldehyde with 2-propanol as the hydrogen donor, and for the selective hydrogenation of trans-cinnamaldehyde with H2, have been examined. Complexes (1)-(5) were shown to have higher selectivities for the transfer hydrogenation of the C=O bond of aldehyde than for the transfer hydrogenation of the C=C bond of aldehyde. The selectivities for the transfer hydrogenation with 2-propanol as well as for the hydrogenation with H2 have been found to decrease in the order 3 > 5 > 2 > 4 > 1. Complex (3) has shown to possess almost 90% of the selectivity to cinnamyl alcohol for transfer hydrogenation. It is also found that there is a correlation between the ν(CO) of each complex and the hydrogenation, of the C=O bond of trans-cinnamaldehyde. Overall, the selectivities with the complexes (1)-(5) are greater for the transfer hydrogenation with 2-propanol than for the hydrogenation with H2.