Selective hydrogenation of conjugated unsaturated ketones containing a hydroxyaryl substituent in the β-position

Abstract

A high selectivity was achieved in the Ni2B-catalyzed hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated ketones containing a hydroxyaryl (phenolic) substituent in the β-position. The developed hydrogenation procedure was used to synthesize natural compounds of the phenylpropane series and their structural analogs.