Method for producing an alcohol
AssigneeResearch Development Corporation of Japan
InventorsTakao Ikariya, Takeshi Ohkuma, Hirohito Ooka, Shohei Hashiguchi, Nobuo Seido, Ryoji Noyori
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method for producing a alcohol including an optically active alcohol by hydrogenating a carbonyl compound in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst, a base and a nitrogen-containing organic compound. Thus, the reaction employs an inexpensive catalyst and proceeds in high yield and high efficiency.
Claims5
A method for producing an alcohol, which comprises reacting a carbonyl compound with molecular hydrogen (H.sub.2) in the presence of a homogeneous hydrogenation catalyst, a base and a diamine compound,
- said homogeneous hydrogenation catalyst being a ruthenium-phosphine ligand complex, and
- said base being a hydroxide of salt or an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal or quaternary ammonium salt.
A method for producing an optically active alcohol, which comprises the step of subjecting a carbonyl compound expressed by the following formula:
- ##STR60## where R.sup.3 is phenyl 2-methylphenyl, 2-ethylphenyl, 2-isopropylphenyl, 2-tert-butylphenyl, 2-methoxyphenyl, 2-chlorophenyl, 2-vinylphenyl, 3-methylphenyl, 3-ethylphenyl, 3-isopropylphenyl, 3-methoxyphenyl, 3chlorophenyl, 3-vinylphenyl, 4-methylphenyl, 4-ethylphenyl, 4-isopropylphenyl, 4-tert-butylphenyl, 4-vinylphenyl, cumenyl, mesityl, xylyl, 1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, anthryl, phenanthryl, indenyl, ferrocenyl, thienyl, furyl, pyranyl, xanthenyl, pyridyl, imidazolyl, indolyl, carbazolyl, or phenanthrolyl, and R.sup.4 is hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, benzyl, vinyl or allyl, or the following cyclic ketones which may be substituted or unsubstituted;
- cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, cycloheptanone, cyclopentenone, cyclohexenone, cycloheptenone, to a hydrogenation reaction with molecular hydrogen (H.sub.2) in the presence of an asymmetric hydrogenation catalyst of a transition metal, a base and an optically active diamine compound, thereby producing an optically active alcohol expressed by the following formula:
- ##STR61## where R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are the same groups as above, or the cyclic alcohols corresponding to the above cyclic ketones,
- said asymmetric hydrogenation catalyst being a ruthenium-optically active phosphine ligand complex, and
- said base being a hydroxide or salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, or a quaternary ammonium salt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.