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Ether derivatives have myriad applications in several areas of chemical industry and academia. Hence, the development of more effective and sustainable protocols for their production is highly desired. Among the different methodologies reported for ether synthesis, catalytic reductive alcohol etherifications with carbonyl‐based moieties (aldehydes/ketones and carboxylic acid derivatives) have emerged in the last years as a potential tool. These processes constitute appealing routes for the selective production of both symmetrical and asymmetrical ethers (including O‐heterocycles) with an increased molecular complexity. Likewise, ester‐to‐ether catalytic reductions and hydrogenative alcohol etherifications with CO2 to dialkoxymethanes and other acetals, albeit in less extent, have undergone important advances, too. In this Review, an update of the recent progresses in the area of catalytic reductive alcohol etherifications using carbonyl‐based compounds and CO2 have been described with a special focus on organic synthetic applications and catalyst design. Complementarily, recent progress made in catalytic acetal/ketal‐to‐ether or ester‐to‐ether reductions and other related transformations have been also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported herein, for the first time, is the selective ruthenium-catalyzed reductive alkoxylation and amination of phthalimides/succinimides. Notably, this novel methodology avoids hydrogenation of the aromatic ring and allows methoxylation of substituted imides with good to excellent selectivity for one of the carbonyl groups. The reported method opens the door to the development of new processes for the selective synthesis of various functionalized N-heterocyclic compounds. As an example, intramolecular reductive couplings to afford tricyclic compounds are presented for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The benzodiazepines olanzapine and clozapine are nowadays manufactured by a three-step process with a final yield below 50%. An approach to environmentally-friendly intensive processes consists in the development of multifunctional solid catalyst able to catalyze multistep reactions. Here, a bifunctional metal-acid solid catalyst has been prepared and is able to carry out hydrogenation–cyclisation–amination reactions in a cascade process. The catalytic system is illustrated for the synthesis of these important antipsychotics, being an alternative for the current industrial process that requires three steps batch reactions, using mineral acids and bases, and stoichiometric amounts of SnCl2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The reductive mono-alkoxylation of N-substituted phthalimides with hydrogen as reducing agent is achieved in the presence of a catalyst system consisting of Ru(acac)3, Triphos, and methanesulfonic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic amines and various readily available carboxylic acids are treated under molecular hydrogen with a catalyst combination under conditions A) or B). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]