Towards Green Reductions in Bio-Derived Solvents

Abstract

The hydrogenation processes, and all the reactions that formally add two hydrogen atoms to an unsaturated bond, are among the most used transformations in the manufacture of bulk and fine chemicals. Although their potential as powerful tool for the sustainable synthesis of organic compounds, hydrogenations, and more generally the reductions, have been typically carried out in volatile organic solvents deriving from petroleum; indeed, all studies and fascinating advances related to the catalysts’ activity or the reducing agents’ reactivity have been limited to such volatile and often toxic reaction media. In this review, recent advances in the reducing methodologies with an improved degree of sustainability have been described. In particular, a series of examples have been reported to highlight the chance to reduce an organic compound by using a benign solvent deriving from renewable sources, without waiving to the process efficiency and selectivity. Some important key points of green chemistry, such as the easiness of catalyst recovery or the simplicity of product isolation, have been considered in the choice of the described studies.