Abstract: The invention provides a method comprising hydrogenating a ketone in the presence of (i) a base, (ii) hydrogen gas and (iii) a catalyst comprising a charged or neutral complex of formula (I): wherein: Mn is a manganese atom or a manganese ion in oxidation state (I) to (VII); R1 and R2 are each independently optionally substituted C4-8monocyclic aryl or C3-7monocyclic heteroaryl moieties; -Fc- denotes a ferrocene (bis(?5-cyclopentadienyl)iron) moiety covalently bonded via adjacent carbon atoms of one of the two cyclopentadienyl moieties, and which may be optionally further substituted, in either cyclopentadienyl ring; —Z— is an alkylene linker of the formula —(CH2)1-6— in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms of the alkylene may be independently substituted; —Nx is an optionally substituted nitrogen-containing heteroaryl moiety, with the proviso that at least one of R1, R2 and —Nx is substituted one or more times with an electron donating group; and L1-L3 constitute one, two or three ligands, wherein,

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of catalytic hydrogenation and, more particularly, to methods of manganese-catalysed hydrogenation of esters to alcohols. Advantageously, where the esters are chiral, the hydrogenations proceed with high or complete stereochemical integrity.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for the hydroxycarbonylation, alkoxycarbonylation, aryloxycarbonylation or thiocarbonylation of an unsaturated molecule. The method includes a hydroxycarbonylation, alkoxycarbonylation, aryloxycarbonylationor thiocarbonylation reaction on the unsaturated molecule in which a complex including a ligand comprising a [n,n?] cyclophane comprising two non-fused monocyclic aromatic rings bridged by two linear and aliphatic linkages, in which each of the non-fused monocyclic aromatic rings is substituted with a phosphorus atom-containing substituent, is used to catalyse the reaction.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for the hydroxycarbonylation, alkoxycarbonylation, aryloxycarbonylation or thiocarbonylation of an unsaturated molecule. The method includes a hydroxycarbonylation, alkoxycarbonylation, aryloxycarbonylationor thiocarbonylation reaction on the unsaturated molecule in which a complex including a ligand comprising a [n,n?]cyclophane comprising two non-fused monocyclic aromatic rings bridged by two linear and aliphatic linkages, in which each of the non-fused monocyclic aromatic rings is substituted with a phosphorus atom-containing substituent, is used to catalyse the reaction.