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Synfacts 2005(1): 0118-0118  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-872213
Synthesis of Heterocycles
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Cyclization of Diols to Lactones

Contributor(s): Victor Snieckus, Justin-Alexandre Morin
J. Zhao, J. F. Hartwig*
Yale University, New Haven, USA
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Publication History

Publication Date:
23 September 2005 (online)

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Significance

γ-Butyrolactone is prepared in quantitative yield by the dehydration of 1,4-butanediol using various ruthenium complexes without the need of hydrogen acceptors or solvent. An alkylphosphine analogue of Noyori’s bis-phosphine diamine catalysts was found to exhibit very high TON (17.000). Several other Ru complexes [RuH2(PMe3)4 and RuH2(CO)(PMe3)3] also provided good yields of products.