Grant: Idea to Innovation

Reduction of carboxylic esters is a common reaction in organic chemistry. Existing classical techniques are hazardous and they are accompanied by excessive formation of chemical waste. New transition metal catalysts from our laboratory facilitate a 'green' ester reduction process affording alcohols under hydrogen gas with essentially no chemical waste. The objective of current research in our group is to offer academic and industrial chemists affordable, easy to handle, readily available and efficient homogeneous catalysts for hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds. Our new catalysts will be of interest to Canadian and American flavour and fragrances manufacturers and producers of specialty and fine chemical compounds. This proposal request funding for a 12 month project to produce improved catalytic systems and operational data fully applicable to industrial settings.