Prof. Michael J. Krische: "Formation of C-C Bonds via Catalytic Hydrogenation and Transfer Hydrogenation"

Asymmetric hydrogenation accounts for over half the chiral compounds made by man, withstanding physical or enzymatic resolution. Whereas conventional hydrogenation involves C-H bond formation, our research establishes hydrogenation as a method for C-C bond formation. We have shown that hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation may be used to couple diverse Π-unsaturated reactants to carbonyl compounds, imines and even alcohols, thus offering a byproduct-free alternative to stoichiometrically preformed organometallics in a range of classical C=X (X = O, NR) addition processes. These studies represent the first systematic efforts to exploit hydrogenation in C-C couplings beyond hydroformylation and define a departure from the use of preformed organometallic reagents in carbonyl addition.