Over many forums, including this one, the leuckart is a well know way to reduce ketones to amines. However, for our favorite substrates, it seems to be a poor fit In several ways.
First, the yield, it seems to hover around 40% or so, and that lesaves much to be desired. we need to improve it. It seems using formate salts, rather than the various amides, can increase yield. I’m wondering if something like a PTC would help, maybe some TBAB, might help?Using a non-reactive gas like nitrogen during the reaction also seems to help. Maybe CO2 as well? also, a catalytic amount of magnesium chloride seeds to help as well.
Besides yield, and long run time for large scale, which imo can’t be helped, this reaction is ideal, but man it sucks to lose so much of your ketone. Can we figure out ways to increase the yield, and turn this into a real game changer?
First, the yield, it seems to hover around 40% or so, and that lesaves much to be desired. we need to improve it. It seems using formate salts, rather than the various amides, can increase yield. I’m wondering if something like a PTC would help, maybe some TBAB, might help?Using a non-reactive gas like nitrogen during the reaction also seems to help. Maybe CO2 as well? also, a catalytic amount of magnesium chloride seeds to help as well.
Besides yield, and long run time for large scale, which imo can’t be helped, this reaction is ideal, but man it sucks to lose so much of your ketone. Can we figure out ways to increase the yield, and turn this into a real game changer?