While hydrogenation is without doubt the most important catalytic methodology for the manufacture of fine chemicals, until now most reactions have been carried out with heterogeneous catalysts. Heterogeneous hydrogenation catalysts have an exceptionally broad applicability for the chemo-and diastereoselective reduction of various functional groups, are convenient to handle, and catalyst separation is usually straightforward [1]. Homogeneous catalysts have found application for a number of special selectivity problems, the most important of which is enantioselective hydrogenation. While this will be the dominant topic of this chapter, a few scattered reports have been made where achiral complexes such as the Wilkinson catalyst, RhCl(Ph 3 P) 3 , or Ru-phosphine complexes have been applied on an industrial scale. In this regard, we will mention three examples [2]: (i) the chemoselective hydrogenation of a,b-unsaturated aldehydes; (ii) the diastereoselective hydrogenation of a tetracycline antibiotic; and (iii) the chemoselective hydrogenation of avermectin derivatives.As already mentioned, the most important industrial application of homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts is for the enantioselective synthesis of chiral compounds. Today, not only pharmaceuticals and vitamins [3], agrochemicals [4], flavors and fragrances [5] but also functional materials [6,7] are increasingly produced as enantiomerically pure compounds. The reason for this development is the often superior performance of the pure enantiomers and/or that regulations demand the evaluation of both enantiomers of a biologically active compound before its approval. This trend has made the economical enantioselective synthesis of chiral performance chemicals a very important topic.Industrial interest in the application of enantioselective catalysts began in earnest during the mid-1960s when the first reports of successful enantioselective transformations with homogeneous metal complexes were published. Within a surprisingly short period, production processes for two small-scale products, l-dopa (hydrogenation) and cilostatin (cyclopropanation) were developed and implemented by
1279The Handbook of Homogeneous Hydrogenation. Edited by J. G. de Vries and C. J. Elsevier