Acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling reactions with alcohols over heterogeneous catalysts

Abstract

Heterogeneous catalysis for the one-pot synthesis of added-value chemicals is a growing area in green chemistry. Among various types of organic transformations that are accessible by this approach, acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling (ADC) reactions have been established as efficient processes that generate various classes of organic compounds via the formation of C–O, C–N, C–S, C–C, and CC bonds. In this review, we summarize recent developments on the one-pot synthesis of organic compounds that are driven by the dehydrogenation of alcohols promoted by supported transition-metal catalysts in the absence of hydrogen acceptors. A major feature of the design of such catalysts is the cooperation between the metal sites and the acid and/or base sites on the metal–oxide supports. Recent examples for the organometallic catalysis of ADC reactions of alcohols are presented and their efficiency is put into contrast with that of related reactions carried out using conventional supported transition-metal catalysts. Finally, aspects pertaining to the mechanism and catalyst design of these new ADC reactions are discussed in the context of directions for future developments in this area.