Reduction and oxidation through hydrogen transfer reactions

A review. Low loading supported copper catalysts have been used to selectively reduce satd. and unsatd. carbonyl compds. through hydrogen transfer from 2-propanol. The effect of the catalyst support and of the donor alc. have been investigated in detail in the redn. of 4-tert-butyl-cyclohexanone allowing to put in light a dehydrogenation-hydrogenation mechanism. The dehydrogenation reaction has been used to selectively transform secondary aliph. alcs. into ketones in the presence of styrene as hydrogen acceptor.