Three different bile acid-derived biphenyl phosphites were synthesized, starting from cholic and deoxycholic acids and biphenol, and their stereochemical features were checked by CD and NMR spectroscopies. On the basis of the spectroscopic results, the capability of the cholestanic system to induce a prevalent sense of twist on the biphenyl moiety of the bile acid-derived phosphites as well as their tropos nature was inferred.

The chemoselective reduction of commercial‐grade aldehydes (97–99 %) to primary alcohols is achieved with cis‐[RuCl2(ampy)(PP)] [ampy=2‐(aminomethyl)pyridine; PP=1,4‐bis(diphenylphosphino)butane, 1,1′‐ferrocenediyl‐bis(diphenylphosphine)] and pincer [RuCl(CNNR)(PP)] [PP=1,3‐bis(diphenylphosphino)propane, 1,4‐bis(diphenylphosphino)butane, 1,1′‐ferrocenediyl‐bis(diphenylphosphine); HCNNR=4‐substituted‐2‐aminomethyl‐benzo[h]quinoline; R=Me, Ph] complexes by transfer hydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions. Aromatic, conjugated, and aliphatic aldehydes are converted quantitatively to the corresponding alcohols using 2‐propanol with potassium carbonate at substrate/catalyst ratios up to 100 000 by transfer hydrogenation, whereas aldehyde hydrogenation (5–20 atm of H2) is achieved efficiently in MeOH in the presence of KOtBu at substrate/catalyst ratios up to 40 000.

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Reaction of 1-naphthylamine with ethyl benzoylacetate gives the corresponding benzoyl acetamide derivative 1, which undergoes cyclization to 4-phenylbenzo[h]quinolin-2(1H)-one (2) in the presence of H2SO4. Bromination with POBr3, followed by reaction with n-BuLi and DMF, gives 4-phenylbenzo[h]quinoline-2-carbaldehyde (4), which is converted to the corresponding oxime hydrochloride 5 with NH2OH·HCl. Hydrogenation of 5 catalyzed by 10% Pd/C (type 338) leads to 4-phenyl-2-aminomethylbenzo[h]quinoline hydrochloride (HCNNPh·HCl, 6) isolated in high yield. Similarly, the 4-methyl-2-aminomethylbenzo[h]quinoline derivative (HCNNMe·HCl, 12) is prepared starting from 1-naphthylamine and 2,2,6-trimethyl-4H-1,3-dioxin-4-one, following the route for 6. Reaction of RuCl2(PPh3)3 with a diphosphine (PP), the HCl salt 6, and NEt3 in 2-propanol leads to the pincer complexes RuCl(CNNPh)(PP) (PP = Ph2P(CH2)3PPh2, 13; Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2, 14; 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene, 15). The methyl derivatives RuCl(CNNMe)(PP) (PP = Ph2P(CH2)3PPh2, 16; Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2, 17; 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene, 18) are obtained in a similar way using 12 in place of 6. Treatment of [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 with rac-BINAP, 6, and NEt3 affords RuCl(CNNPh)(BINAP) (19), isolated as a mixture of two diastereoisomers (3:4 molar ratio). The chiral RuCl(CNNPh)[(S,R)-JOSIPHOS] (20) is obtained as a single isomer from [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2, (S,R)-JOSIPHOS, and 6. Complexes 13-20 efficiently catalyze the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone in 2-propanol at reflux in the presence of NaOiPr (2 mol%) with S/C = 5000-20-000 and at high rate (TOF up to 6.7 × 103 min-1). With complexes 13, 15, 17, and 18 several ketones of commercial-grade purity have been reduced to alcohols, including the bulky RCO(tBu) (R = Me, Ph) substrates. With 20 acetophenone is reduced to (S)-1-phenylethanol with 85% ee. The pincer complexes 13-15 and 18 are also found highly active in the hydrogenation of ketones at 40 °C with an S/C = 10-000, under 5 bar of dihydrogen in methanol and in the presence of 2 mol % of a base (NaOH, KOH, NaOMe)