Primary Alcohols from Terminal Olefins: Formal Anti-Markovnikov Hydration via Triple Relay Catalysis

G. Dong, P. Teo, Z. K. Wickens, R. H. Grubbs

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

179 Scopus citations

Abstract

Alcohol synthesis is critical to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The addition of water across olefins to form primary alcohols (anti-Markovnikov olefin hydration) would be a broadly useful reaction but has largely proven elusive; an indirect hydroboration/oxidation sequence requiring stoichiometric borane and oxidant is currently the most practical methodology. Here, we report a more direct approach with the use of a triple relay catalysis system that couples palladium-catalyzed oxidation, acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, and ruthenium-catalyzed reduction cycles. Aryl-substituted terminal olefins are converted to primary alcohols by net reaction with water in good yield and excellent regioselectivity.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1609-1612
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume333
Issue number6049
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 15 2011
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Center in Development, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and the NSF. G.D. thanks the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation for a postdoctoral fellowship. P.T. thanks A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) for a postdoctoral fellowship (2009 to 2011). P.T. and Z.K.W. contributed equally to this paper. We also thank V. Lavallo and B. K. Keitz for proofreading the manuscript. A provisional patent was filed for work described in this Report.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.

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