Synthesis 2018; 50(19): 3891-3896
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1610441
paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Catalytic Pauson–Khand Reaction in Ethylene Glycol–Toluene: Activity­, Selectivity, and Catalyst Recycling

a   Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain   Email: antoni.riera@irbbarcelona.org   Email: xavier.verdaguer@irbbarcelona.org
b   Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Secció Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, Barcelona 08028, Spain
,
a   Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain   Email: antoni.riera@irbbarcelona.org   Email: xavier.verdaguer@irbbarcelona.org
b   Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Secció Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, Barcelona 08028, Spain
,
a   Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain   Email: antoni.riera@irbbarcelona.org   Email: xavier.verdaguer@irbbarcelona.org
b   Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Secció Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, Barcelona 08028, Spain
› Author Affiliations
We gratefully acknowledge institutional funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO, CTQ2017-87840-P) and IRB Barcelona trough the CERCA Programme of the Catalan Government. IRB Barcelona is the recipient of a Severo Ochoa Award of Excellence from MINECO (Government of Spain).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 19 April 2018

Accepted after revision: 30 May 2018

Publication Date:
05 July 2018 (online)


Abstract

The use of ethylene glycol (15% v/v in toluene) as additive in the catalytic Pauson–Khand reaction (PKR) is reported. In most cases both the yield and selectivity were enhanced compared to standard protocols. Moreover, the immiscibility of ethylene glycol in toluene allowed recycling of the catalyst (which remained mainly in the ethylene glycol). The recycling allowed catalyst loading to be reduced to only 3 mol%. A gram-scale reaction was also performed, allowing the use of only 1 mol% of Co2(CO)8, the lowest amount reported so far in intermolecular cobalt-catalyzed PKR.