Ruthenium-catalyzed β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols

•The catalytic properties of 19 ruthenium complexes are compared.•RuCl2(PPh3)2(2-NH2CH2Py) is the most active catalytic precursor found in this study.•β-Alkylation of secondary alcohols with benzylic and alkyl primary alcohols can be achieved.

The catalytic properties of a series of ruthenium complexes for β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols were studied. The catalytic activities of the ruthenium complexes were found to be dependent on the auxiliary ligands. The most active catalytic precursor found in this study is the ruthenium complex RuCl2(PPh3)2(2-NH2CH2Py) [2-NH2CH2Py = 2-aminomethyl pyridine], which effectively catalyzed the β-alkylation of both aryl- and alkyl-substituted secondary alcohols with benzylic and alkyl primary alcohols.

Graphical abstractThe ruthenium complex RuCl2(PPh3)2(2-NH2CH2Py) [2-NH2CH2Py = 2-aminomethyl pyridine] effectively catalyzed the β-alkylation of both aryl- and alkyl-substituted secondary alcohols with benzylic and alkyl primary alcohols.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide