Transition metal complexes have been utilized as catalysts for transfer hydrogenation of ketones, a reaction important in chemical synthesis and pharmaceuticals. In this reaction, hydrogen donors instead of hydrogen gas can be used to reduce ketones and other functional groups. Most catalysts require an inert atmosphere and the addition of base. In this project, progress has been made to synthesize and characterize primary amido-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands complexed to ruthenium for base-free transfer hydrogenation under aerobic conditions. Exploring different approaches of synthesizing the ruthenium complexes had varying degrees of success. While spectroscopic evidence suggests the desired complexes have been successfully synthesized, elemental analysis data suggest complexes that are not analytically pure. Future work is focused on exploring different reaction conditions to isolate analytically pure catalysts for transfer hydrogenation. Once pure ruthenium complexes are obtained, the next phase will be to evaluate their abilities for base-free transfer hydrogenation under aerobic conditions.
