Half-Sandwich Rhodium Complexes With Phenylene-Based Scs Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization And Catalytic Activities For Transfer Hydrogenation Of Ketones

A series of half-sandwich rhodium complexes with tridentate phenylene-based bis(thione) (SCS) ligand have been synthesized and characterized. Both half-sandwich rhodium complexes and phenylene-based bis(thione) compounds were fully characterized by H-1 and C-13 NMR spectra, mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction method. The catalytic activities of half-sandwich rhodium complexes toward the transfer hydrogenation of ketones to their corresponding alcohols were explored using 2-propanol as hydrogen source and solvent. And the half-sandwich rhodium complexes exhibited high catalytic activity for transfer hydrogenation of ketones with a broad functional group tolerance. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.