Ruthenium-Catalyzed Hydration of Olefins

研究了钌催化烯烃水化反应。降冰片烯衍生物可以用水水化得到相应的降冰片衍生物，收率中等至优异。而其他烯烃，如苯乙烯、烯丙苯等，在各种反应条件下都不能与水反应。通过添加羧酸间接水化烯烃，然后水解生成的酯，使4-烯丙烯醇在一锅中以较高的收率转化为1-（4-甲氧基苯基）丙烯醇。虽然不是直接水化反应，而是两步反应，但可以定量回收起始羧酸。

Ruthenium-catalyzed hydration reaction of olefins were investigated. Norbornene derivatives can be hydrated by water to give the corresponding norborneol derivatives in moderate to excellent yields. However, the other olefins, such as styrene, allylbenzene, and so on, were not reacted with water in various reaction conditions. Indirect hydration of olefins via addition of carboxylic acid followed by hydorolysis of the resulting ester enabled that 4-allylanisole was converted to 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-ol in good yield in one-pot. Although the reaction was not direct hydration but two-step sequence, the starting carboxylic acid can be recovered quantitatively.