Ammonium formate conjugate reduction

Hydride ion transfer from formic acid and its salts finds widespread application in the reduction of organic substrates, but limited use has been made of the procedure under phase-transfer catalytic conditions. However in the presence of a ruthenium complex catalyst, it is possible to selectively reduce the C=C bonds of conjugated ketones with sodium formate [11], The rate of reduction is fastest with tetrahexyl-ammonium hydrogensulphate and Aliquat the complete reduction of chalcone being effected within one hour, whereas with benzyltriethylammonium chloride only ca. 15% reduction is observed after two hours under similar conditions. 

Subsequent ion exchange of the metal cation with the quaternary ammonium ion catalyst provides a lipophilic ion pair (step 2), which either reacts with the requisite alkyl electrophile at the interface (step 3) or is partitioned into the electrophile-containing organic phase, whereupon alkylation occurs and the catalyst is reconstituted. Enantioselective PTC has found apphcation in a vast number of chemical transformations, including alkylations, conjugate additions, aldol reactions, oxidations, reductions, and C-X bond formations." ... 

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