Applications of Acceptorless Dehydrogenation and Related Transformations in Chemical Synthesis

Background Acceptorless dehydrogenation (AD) reactions can result not only in simple removal of hydrogen gas from various substrates but also, importantly, in surprisingly efficient and environmentally benign (“green”) synthetic methodologies when intermediates resulting from the initial dehydrogenation process undergo further reactions. Advances Traditionally, dehydrogenation/oxidation reactions of organic compounds have been performed using stoichiometric amounts of inorganic oxidants, in addition to employing various additives, cocatalysts, and catalytic systems that result in generation of copious stoichiometric, often toxic, waste. Catalytic transfer hydrogenation methods, in which stoichiometric amounts…