Recent topics of transfer hydrogenation

A number of transition metal catalysts have been developed for transfer hydrogenation of organic molecules. This method provides a useful process for the reduction of unsaturated molecules without the need for explosive hydrogen gas. An important development in this area is the design of new ligands that improve activity and selectivity under mild reaction conditions. Polydentate ligands are good candidates for producing high performance metal catalysts. This digest describes recent developments in transfer hydrogenation as well as asymmetric reactions using metal catalysts containing polydentate ligand systems.