Selective hydrogenation of myrcene catalyzed by complexes of ruthenium, chromium, iridium and rhodium

The hydrogenation of myrcene (1) catalyzed by Ru, Cr, Ir and Rh complexes leads to the formation of a complex mixture of mono-, di- and trihydrogenated products. Monohydrogenated products have been obtained with excellent combined selectivity of 95-98% at a high conversion of myrcene (>80%) by the appropriate choice of the catalyst and reaction conditions.