The conversion of biomass into fuels and chemical feedstocks is one part of a drive to reduce the world's dependence on crude oil. For transportation fuels in particular, wholesale replacement of a fuel is logistically problematic, not least because of the infrastructure that is already in place. Here, we describe the catalytic defunctionalization of a series of biomass-derived molecules to provide linear alkanes suitable for use as transportation fuels. These biomass-derived molecules contain a variety of functional groups, including olefins, furan rings and carbonyl groups. We describe the removal of these in either a stepwise process or a one-pot process using common reagents and catalysts under mild reaction conditions to provide n-alkanes in good yields and with high selectivities. Our general synthetic approach is applicable to a range of precursors with different carbon content (chain length). This allows the selective generation of linear alkanes with carbon chain lengths between eight and sixteen carbons.

A high-yield route to the new complexes OsBr2(dppe)2 and trans-OsHBr(dppe)2 starting from (NH4)2[OsBr6] is described. The new 5-coordinate complexes [OsX(dppe)2]PF6 (X = Cl (8Os) and X = Br (9Os)) are prepared by reaction of cis-OsX2(dppe)2 with NaPF6. Complexes 8Os and 9Os consist of distorted trigonal bipyramidal cations with “Y”-shaped equatorial planes. They react in CH2Cl2 with H2 or HD (1 atm) to give complexes trans-[Os(H··H)X(dppe)2]PF6 (X = Cl (1OsPF6), X = Br (2OsPF6)) or trans-[Os(H··D)X(dppe)2]PF6, respectively. The last complexes have J(H,D) = 13.9 and 13.7 Hz, respectively. The BF4 - salts of these complexes, 1OsBF4 and 2OsBF4, respectively, are prepared by reacting trans-OsHX(dppe)2 with HBF4·Et2O or DBF4·Et2O. These complexes are characterized by NMR, IR, and FAB MS. The single-crystal X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of 1OsPF6 revealed an elongated H··H ligand with d HH = 1.11(6) (X-ray) or 1.22(3) Å (neutron) occupying one site in an octahedral complex. The X-ray diffraction study of 2OsBF4 produced a similar structure with d HH = 1.13(8) Å. One fluorine of the anion in each structure is positioned near the acidic H2 ligand. A linear relationship between d HH and J(H,D) for many dihydrogen complexes is used to indicate that complexes 1Os and 2Os have H−H distances of about 1.2 Å in solution. Plots of ln(T 1) versus inverse temperature for 1Os and 2Os are distorted from the usual “V” shape, suggesting that the rotational frequency of the H2 ligand is near that of the Larmor frequency. Therefore the d HH for 1Os is between the values of 1.04 and 1.31 Å calculated from the T 1(min) for fast and slow spinning H2, respectively. The chloride ligand in trans-[Os(H··H)Cl(L)2]+ buffers the effect of changing the cis ligands L from dppe to depe to dcpe so that there is little change in the H−H distance. Complexes 1Os and 2Os have pK a values of 7.4 and 5.4, respectively, while trans-[Os(H2)H(dppe)2]+ is much less acidic with a pK a of 13.6. These pK a values and some E 1/2 values are used to show that 1Os and 2Os are dihydride-like even though they have relatively short H−H distances. Properties of trans-[Os(H··H)Cl(depe)2]BF4 (3Os) are also reported.

An oxygen atom on every carbon--this is the problem! While nature provides linear C(3) to C(6) building blocks in the form of sugar alcohols in large and renewable abundance, they are overfunctionalized for the purpose of most chemical applications. Selective deoxygenation by anthropogenic catalyst systems may be one answer to this challenge.

The ruthenium aqua complexes [Ru(H(2)O)(2)(bipy)(2)](OTf)(2), [cis-Ru(6,6'-Cl(2)-bipy)(2)(OH(2))(2)](OTf)(2), [Ru(H(2)O)(2)(phen)(2)](OTf)(2), [Ru(H(2)O)(3)(2,2':6',2''-terpy)](OTf)(2) and [Ru(H(2)O)(3)(Phterpy)](OTf)(2) (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine; OTf(-) = triflate; phen = phenanthroline; terpy = terpyridine; Phterpy = 4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine) are water- and acid-stable catalysts for the hydrogenation of aldehydes and ketones in sulfolane solution. In the presence of HOS(O)(2)CF(3) (triflic acid) as a dehydration co-catalyst they directly convert 1,2-hexanediol to n-hexanol and hexane. The terpyridine complexes are stable and active as catalysts at temperatures > or = 250 degrees C and in either aqueous sulfolane solution or pure water convert glycerol into n-propanol and ultimately propane as the final reaction product in up to quantitative yield. For the terpy complexes the active catalyst is postulated to be a carbonyl species [(4'-R-2,2':6',2''-terpy)Ru(CO)(H(2)O)(2)](OTf)(2) (R = H, Ph) formed by the decarbonylation of aldehydes (hexanal for 1,2-hexanediol and 3-hydroxypropanal for glycerol) generated in the reaction mixture through acid-catalyzed dehydration. The structure of the dimeric complex [{(4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpy)Ru(CO)}(2)(mu-OCH(3))(2)](OTf)(2) has been determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography (Space group P1 (a = 8.2532(17); b = 12.858(3); c = 14.363(3) A; alpha = 64.38(3); beta = 77.26(3); gamma = 87.12(3) degrees, R = 4.36 %).