Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Deaminative Hydrogenation of Amino Nitriles: Direct Access to 1,2‐Amino Alcohols.

A new approach for the efficient and highly selective synthesis of 1,2‐amino alcohols by direct reductive hydrolysis of N‐formyl‐protected α‐amino nitriles is reported. The commercially available RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 complex was found to be a suitable catalyst for this operationally simple protocol, in which no stoichiometric amounts of undesired metal waste are generated. The deaminative hydrogenation is performed at 55 bar of H2, using a 6:1 mixture of 1,4‐dioxane/water as solvent. In addition, hydroxymethyl alcohols were prepared from cyanoketones under very similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]