Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of olefins by use of RhH 2(Ph 2N 3) (PPh 3) 2 in dimethyl sulfoxide

Abstract

A complex RhH 2(Ph 2N 3) (PPh 3) 2 1 has been shown to be an efficient catalyst for the homogeneous hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds (styrene, acrylonitrile, cinnamic acid, cinnamic alcohol and cinnamonitrile) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) under mild conditions. DMSO appears to play an important role in generating the active catalytic species for hydrogenation of styrene. No catalytic activity for styrene hydrogenation was observed for 1 in solvents such as benzene, toluene, acetone, tetrahydrofuran and N,N-dimethylformamide. The results are discussed in relation to the mechanism of styrene hydrogenation.