Title of the Paper:Ruthenium(II)-catalyzed reductive N–O bond cleavage of N-OR (R = H, alkyl, or acyl) substituted amides and sulfonamides

Abstract:With a commercially available ruthenium(II) catalyst and a mixture of HCOOH/NEt3 as the hydride source under an air atmosphere, a convenient method for the reductive cleavage of N–O bonds was described. This catalytic system was applicable for a variety of N-oxygen-substituted amides, as well as N-alkoxy sulfonamides, efficiently delivering the corresponding amide or primary sulfonamide products with good functional group tolerance in moderate to good yields.

Innovation:The research group developed a new type of ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation reaction, which realized the efficient reduction and dehalogenation of organic halides (J. Org. Chem. 2017, 82, 1340). The research group noticed that N-OR substituted amide derivatives are important substrates in the fields of hydrocarbon activation and have a wide range of applications. However, the catalytic transfer hydrogenation system based on N-O bond cleavage has not been reported yet. In this work, the research group used a commercial divalent ruthenium complex as a catalyst and a formic acid/triethylamine mixture as a hydrogen source to develop the transfer hydrogenation of N-OR substituted amides and sulfonamide derivatives. The reaction has the characteristics of low catalyst price, simple catalytic system, and wide range of substrates.

Link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QO01093F