Heterogeneous Hydroxyl-Directed Hydrogenation: Control of Diastereoselectivity through Bimetallic Surface Composition

Directed hydrogenation, in which product selectivity is dictated by the binding of an ancillary directing group on the substrate to the catalyst, is typically catalyzed by homogeneous Rh and Ir complexes. No heterogeneous catalyst has been able to achieve equivalently high directivity due to a lack of control over substrate binding orientation at the catalyst surface. In this work, we demonstrate that Pd–Cu bimetallic nanoparticles with both Pd and Cu atoms distributed across the surface are capable of high conversion and diastereoselectivity in the hydroxyl-directed hydrogenation reaction of terpinen-4-ol. We postulate that the OH directing group adsorbs to the more oxophilic Cu atom while the olefin and hydrogen bind to adjacent Pd atoms, thus enabling selective delivery of hydrogen to the olefin from the same face as the directing group with a 16:1 diastereomeric ratio.