Molecularly Defined Manganese Pincer Complexes for Selective Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones.

For the first time an easily accessible and well-defined manganese N,N,N-pincer complex catalyzes the transfer hydrogenation of a broad range of ketones with good to excellent yields. This cheap earth abundant-metal based catalyst provides access to useful secondary alcohols without the need of hydrogen gas. Preliminary investigations to explore the mechanism of this transformation are also reported.