Well-defined Cp*Co(III)-catalyzed Hydrogenation of Carbonates and Polycarbonates

Abstract

We herein report the catalytic hydrogenation of carbonates and polycarbonates into their corresponding diols/alcohols using well-defined, air-stable, high-valent cobalt complexes. Several novel Cp*Co(III) complexes bearing N,O-chelation were isolated for the first time and structurally characterized by various spectroscopic techniques including single crystal X-ray crystallography. These novel Co(III) complexes have shown excellent catalytic activity to produce value added diols/alcohols from carbonate and polycarbonates through hydrogenation using molecular hydrogen as sole reductant or iPrOH as transfer hydrogenation source. To demonstrate the developed methodology's practical applicability, we have recycled the bisphenol A monomer from compact disc (CD) through hydrogenation under the established reaction conditions using phosphine-free, earth-abundant, air- and moisture-stable high-valent cobalt catalysts.