Synlett 2016; 27(05): 650-655
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1560382
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© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Catalytic Strategies toward Selective Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketones and Phenols: Facile Synthesis of Cyclohexyl Ketones

Yu Wei
a   Center for Organic Chemistry, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710054, P. R. of China
,
Xiaoming Zeng*
a   Center for Organic Chemistry, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710054, P. R. of China
b   State Key Laboratory of Elemento-organic Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. of China   Email: zengxiaoming@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 06 September 2015

Accepted after revision: 13 October 2015

Publication Date:
30 November 2015 (online)


Abstract

Selective hydrogenation of aromatic ketones and phenols by the reduction of aromatic groups, with the retention of an easily reducible carbonyl functionality in the final products, provides a practically useful route to fundamentally interesting cyclohexyl ketones and cyclohexanones, but the achievement thereof remains a great challenge. Recently, however, much progress in this area has been made with the use of rhodium and palladium catalysis. We now highlight the achievements made in the selective hydrogenation of aromatic ketones and phenols by reduction of the aromatic motifs.

1 Introduction

2 Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketones by Reducing the Aromatic Scaffolds

3 Selective Hydrogenation of Phenols to Cyclohexanones

4 Conclusion