Nitriles, catalytic hydrogenation dehydrogenation

Homogeneous hydrogenation of nitriles, Saturated nitriles are hydrogenated to primary amines in 67-100% yield with 1 as catalyst in THF. The catalytic activity of 1 for aromatic nitriles is not so high as for hydrogenation of aliphatic nitriles. The C=C bond of unsaturated nitriles is reduced more readily than the C=N bond. This catalyst is also eflective for dehydrogenation of amines (benzylamine — benzonitrile, 27% yield). 

The above hydrochloride is treated with thionyl chloride in liquid sulfur dioxide, to produce an amorphous chloride hydro chloride, which is converted to the nitrile with sodium cyanide in liquid hydrogen cyanide, Methanolysis then gives the ester of the nitrile. Alkaline hydrolysis of this last compound, followed by catalytic dehydrogenation in water using a deactivated Raney Nickle catalyst (see JOC, 13, 455 1948) gives dl-lysergic acid. 

Interestingly, the by-product in the above-described hydrocyanation of butadiene, 2-methylglutaronitrile, forms the raw material for the Lonza process for nicotinamide (see earlier) [123]. Four heterogeneous catalytic steps (hydrogenation, cyclisation, dehydrogenation and ammoxidation) are followed by an enzymatic hydration of a nitrile to an amide (Fig. 1.50). 

As an alternative, iridium complexes show exciting catalytic activities in various organic transformations for C-C bond formation. Iridium complexes have been known to be effective catalysts for hydrogenation [1—5] and hydrogen transfers [6-27], including in enantioselective synthesis [28-47]. The catalytic activity of iridium complexes also covers a wide range for dehydrogenation [48-54], metathesis [55], hydroamination [56-61], hydrosilylation [62], and hydroalkoxylation reactions [63] and has been employed in alkyne-alkyne and alkyne - alkene cyclizations and allylic substitution reactions [64-114]. In addition, Ir-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a,P-unsaturated nitriles with nitrone was reported [115]. 

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