Bifunctional Oxo-Tethered Ruthenium Complex Catalyzed Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of Aryl N-Heteroaryl Ketones.

A facile asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ortho-substituted aryl N-heteroaryl ketones and non-ortho-substituted N-oxide of aryl N-heteroaryl ketones using a readily available oxo-tethered ruthenium complex as a catalyst and sodium formate as a hydrogen source in an aqueous solution has been discovered. A variety of chiral aryl N-heteroaryl methanols were obtained with up to 99.9% ee.