Felkins’ iridium catalyst

The groups of Felkin, Crabtree" and Tanaka > have dononstrated that alkane ddiydiogenation via oxidative addition is possible (equations 24 and 23). Attack at primary C—41 bonds is fifivored. probably for steric reasons, but the stabilities of the catalysts are not yet sufficient for the reaction to be practically very useful. Tanaka s [RhCl(CO)(PMe3)2]/Av system ako carbonylates alkanes (equations 26 and 27)> has applied the iridium system to more complex alkanes (equation 28). 

Crabtree, R. H. Felkin, H. Morris, G. E. Cationic iridium diolefin complexes as alkene hydrogenation catalysts and the isolation of some related hydrido complexes. /. Organomet. Chem. 1977, 141, 205-215. 

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