Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation (HY) and transfer hydrogenation (TH) of carbonyl compounds are usually performed with Ru, Rh, and Ir complexes, [1] and much less attention has been devoted to other transition-metal basedsystems. Although osmium complexes have occasionally been employed in the HY [2] and TH [3] of carbonyl compounds, we have recently shown that [OsCl 2 P 2 (Pyme)][4a] [P 2 = diphosphane; Pyme = 1-(pyridin-2-yl)methanamine)] complexes are extremely active catalysts in the TH of ketones, with reaction rates comparable to those of their Ru analogues.[4b] Owing to the stronger bonding of Os compared to Ru, robust and thermally stable chiral complexes can be obtained using a suitable set of ligands, which is a crucial breakthrough in achieving catalysts that display high productivity.[5] Since the CNN pincer complexes [RuCl(CNN)P 2 ][6] obtained from 1-(6-arylpyridin-2-yl)methanamines (HCNN) are among the most active catalysts for the TH of carbonyl compounds, we decided to investigate the chemistry of osmium complexes with CNN ligands and report herein the isolation of the first CNN pincer osmium derivatives [OsCl(CNN)P 2 ]. These complexes are extremely active and productive catalysts for both the TH and HY of ketones (turnover frequency (TOF) of up to 1.3 10 6 h À1 ). Moreover, asymmetric TH [7] and HY [1] have been achieved (ee values of up to 98 %) with a remarkably low loading (0.005-0.002 mol %) of the chiral version of these pincer complexes. Finally, the reversible nature of the ketone insertion into the Os À H bond suggests that Os-hydride and Os-alkoxide species are involved in TH and HY. Treatment of [OsCl 2 (PPh 3 ) 3 ] with 1 a (1.2 equiv) in 2-propanol in the presence of the weak base NEt 3 at reflux for 2 h affords the CNN pincer complex 2 [8] in 94 % yield (Scheme 1). The 31 P NMR spectrum of 2 shows two doublets at d = 7.1 and À1.6 ppm with a 2 J P,P coupling constant of 15.7 Hz, which is typical for a cis OsP 2 arrangement. The singlet at d = 7.95 ppm in the 1 H NMR spectrum is due to the CH proton close to the orthometalated carbon.
Complex 3[8] is easily obtained in high yield upon treatment of [OsCl 2 (PPh 3 ) 3 ] with Ph 2 P(CH 2 ) 4 PPh 2 (dppb) and then with 1 a in the presence of NEt 3 (Scheme 1). The NCH 2 group gives a 13 C NMR signal at d = 54.8 ppm ( 3 J C,P = 2.6 Hz), whereas the orthometalated carbon appears at d = 161.5 ppm ( 2 J C,P = 9.0 and 3.9 Hz). The chiral pincer complex 4 was prepared in a similar manner to 3 but with dppb in combination with 1 b (85 % yield), whereas 5 and 6 (55 and 47 % yield, respectively) were obtained from (S,R)-Josiphos with 1 a and 1 c, respectively (Scheme 1).[8] 31 P NMR spectroscopic control experiments revealed the formation of different isomers in the reaction mixtures; the predominant stereoisomer was isolated from the reaction mixtures.The osmium derivatives 2-6 were found to be highly active catalysts for the TH of different ketones 7 (0.1m) in basic 2-propanol (Scheme 2). Thus, fast reduction of acetophenone (7 a) into 1-pheny...