Manganese catalyzed α-methylation of ketones with methanol as a C1 source

Antoine Bruneau-Voisine (1) , Lenka Pallova (2) , Stéphanie Bastin (2) , Vincent César (2) , Jean-Baptiste Sortais (2)

1 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes
2 LCC - Laboratoire de chimie de coordination

The direct α-methylation of ketones with methanol under hydrogen borrowing conditions using a well-defined manganese PN3P complex as a pre-catalyst was, for the first time, achieved. The reactions typically proceed at 120 °C for 20 h with 3 mol% pre-catalyst loading and in the presence of NaOtBu (50 mol%) as base. The scope of the reaction was extended to the α-methylation of esters.

Domaines: Chimie organique; Catalyse

Antoine Bruneau-Voisine, Lenka Pallova, Stéphanie Bastin, Vincent César, Jean-Baptiste Sortais. Manganese catalyzed α-methylation of ketones with methanol as a C1 source. Chemical Communications, 2019, 55 (3), pp.314-317. ⟨10.1039/c8cc08064j⟩. ⟨hal-01976517⟩