Strategic use of crude H2 for the catalytic reduction of carbonyl compounds

Toward a more efficient use of crude H₂ without its energy-consuming purification and/or composition regulation processes, this study employs gaseous mixtures of H₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄ for the catalytic hydrogenation of aldehydes and ketones in the presence of strategically designed triarylboranes and 4-methyltetrahydropyrane as a greener ethereal solvent. The present results emphasize the unexplored utility of less-toxic main-group catalysis for the catalytic hydrogenation using CO- and CO₂-rich crude H₂. This stands in contrast to the well-established transition-metal catalysis that generally requires purified H₂.