Ruthenium-Catalyzed Selective Hydrogenation of Epoxides to Secondary Alcohols.

A ruthenium(II)-catalyzed highly selective Markovnikov hydrogenation of terminal epoxides to secondary alcohols is reported. Diverse substitutions on the aryl ring of styrene oxides are tolerated. Benzylic, glycidyl, and aliphatic epoxides as well as diepoxides also underwent facile hydrogenation to provide secondary alcohols with exclusive selectivity. Metal-ligand cooperation-mediated ruthenium trans-dihydride formation and its reaction involving oxygen and the less substituted terminal carbon of the epoxide is envisaged for the origin of the observed selectivity.