A MILD CATALYTIC REDUCTION OF C-O BONDS AND C=O BONDS USING A RECYCLABLE CATALYST SYSTEM

摘要

The present invention relates to a mild method of reducing a C-O bond to the corresponding C-H bond in a substrate, which could be a benzylic alcohol, allylic alcohol, ester or an ether bond beta to a hydroxyl group or alpha to a carbonyl group using a recyclable metal catalyst system. The recyclable catalyst system is also applicable to reducing a C=O bond to the corresponding C-OH bond and then C-H bond. These methodologies can be linked in one-pot to selective oxidation and depolymerizations of aromatic polyols such as lignin, which is an important part of the invention.