Highly active iridium(I) catalysts for mild hydrogenation processes

Catalytic hydrogen of carbon-carbon multiple bonds is an essential tool in the repertoire of a synthetic chemist. As such, it remains a topic of intense research in organometallic chemistry. Having said this, many of these catalysts require elevated temperatures, pressures, or catalyst loading. Within our laboratory we have developed a range of iridium(I) complexes (2) bearing a phosphine and an N-heterocyclic carbene.1 These new species have proven to be highly active hydrogenation catalysts, allowing the use of reaction conditions that are mild and selective to olefin hydrogenation.2 More recently, we have been investigating the effect that changing the nature of the anionic counter ion (3) has upon the reactivity of the catalyst complex (Scheme 1). The full details of our endeavours in this area will be discussed as part of this poster presentation.