A highly effective and green procedure for the formation of α-alkylated ketones has been disclosed via the reaction of primary alcohols with secondary alcohols and ketones by using [IrCl(COD)(NHC)] complexes as a catalyst. Various α-alkylated ketones were obtained in high yields from the alkylation of alcohol with alcohol and ketone with alcohol through a borrowing hydrogen reaction by using 0.05-0.5 mol % iridium(I) and a catalytic amount of KOH (5-10 mol %) as the base under air atmosphere and within very short reaction times.

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A new phenoxide chelated [Ir(NHC)Cp*Cl] (NHC = Nheterocyclic carbene; Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) complex (3) has been prepared by reaction of [IrCp*Cl 2 ] 2 with an in situ prepared NHC−Ag complex in dichloromethane at ambient temperature. The Ir III complex was stable toward air and moisture and was fully characterized by 1 H, 13 C NMR, HRMS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The new complex was found to be an active catalyst for transfer hydrogenative reductive amination under aqueous conditions with formate as hydrogen source as well as hydrogenative reductive amination reactions using H 2 . Various carbonyl compounds such as aliphatic and aromatic ketones and aldehydes were successfully reacted with amines to give new amines. In comparison with transfer hydrogenative reductive amination, the reductive amination with H 2 is faster and permits higher molar ratios of the substrate to the catalyst (S/ C).

Iridium­(I) complexes having an imidazol-2-ylidene ligand with benzylic wingtips efficiently catalyzed the β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols and acceptorless dehydrogenative cyclization of 2-aminobenzyl alcohol with ketones through a borrowing hydrogen pathway. The β-alkylated alcohols, including cholesterol derivatives, and substituted quinolines were obtained in good yields by using a minute amount of the catalyst with a catalytic amount of NaOH or KOH under the air atmosphere, liberating water (and H2 in the case of quinoline synthesis) as the sole byproduct. Notably, this system demonstrated turnover numbers of 940 000 (for β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols by using down to 0.0001 mol % = 1 ppm of the catalyst) and 9200 (acceptorless dehydrogenative cyclization of 2-aminobenzyl alcohol with ketones).