Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones Catalyzed by Symmetric Imino-N-heterocyclic Carbene Co(III) Complexes

[Image: see text] The synthesis of new moisture-sensitive imine-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursor salts [1-(2-[(hydroxyl-benzylidene)-amino]-ethyl)-3-R-3H-imidazole-1-ium bromide; R = methyl (1a), ethyl (1b), and benzyl (1c)] is reported. Subsequent deprotonation of 1a–c and coordination of the in situ generated NHC ligands to CoBr(2) led to the isolation of air-stable six-coordinate Co(III) complexes 2a–c, respectively. All the salts and complexes were fully characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of 2a and 2c showed octahedral Co centers hexacoordinated to two NHC carbons, two imine nitrogen atoms, and two phenolate oxygens in the form [C^N^O(Co(3+))C^N^O]. The complexes were used in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of a range of ketones in 2-propanol as the solvent and hydrogen donor. Based on a low catalyst concentration of 0.4 mol %, significant conversions in the range of 70–99% were recorded at high turnover frequencies up to 1635 h(–1). A mechanism to account for the steps involved in the CTH of cyclohexanone by complex 2a is proposed and supported by data from cyclic voltammetry, low-resolution mass spectrometry, UV, and IR spectroscopic techniques.