# General and selective ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of primary amides to primary amines under mild conditions.
> 温和な条件下でのルテニウム触媒による第一級アミドから第一級アミンへの選択的水素化反応


## Abstract

The catalytic reduction of primary amides to primary amines represents a longstanding challenge in organic synthesis. This study introduces a homogeneous ruthenium catalyst incorporating a methoxy-substituted triphos ligand capable of performing this transformation with broad substrate scope. Under comparatively mild conditions—115 °C and 10 bar molecular hydrogen—the catalyst selectively converts aromatic, heterocyclic, aliphatic, and fatty acid-derived primary amides into their corresponding primary amines. The approach accommodates industrially relevant and structurally diverse substrates, including functionalized derivatives. The primary amines produced are versatile building blocks with applications spanning pharmaceutical chemistry, materials science, and energy technology. This work provides the first general protocol for this class of reductive transformation using molecular hydrogen as the reductant.

### Mechanism

A homogeneous ruthenium catalyst bearing a methoxy-substituted triphos ligand activates molecular hydrogen and selectively reduces the C–O bond of primary amides, yielding primary amines without over-reduction or competing side reactions.

## Bibliographic

- **Authors**: Kuloor C, Goyal V, Ma Z, Poovan F, Peña Fuentes D, Baumann W, et al.
- **Journal**: Nat Commun
- **Year**: 2026 (2026-03-05)
- **PMID**: [41786725](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41786725/)
- **DOI**: [10.1038/s41467-026-69794-2](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69794-2)
- **PMC**: [PMC13087198](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13087198/)
- **Study type**: other
- **Delivery route**: in vitro
- **Effect reported**: not assessed

## Delivery context

This is basic research at the cellular or molecular level. For human application, inhalation is the most promising delivery route, but inhalation carries explosion risk and concentration matters (empirical LFL of 10%; high-concentration devices are not recommended).

## Safety notes

This is basic research at the cellular or molecular level. For human application, inhalation is the most promising delivery route, but inhalation carries explosion risk and concentration matters (empirical LFL of 10%; high-concentration devices are not recommended).

See also:
- [Inhalation concentration and LFL / UFL](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/inhalation-concentration)
- [Consumer Affairs Agency accident cases](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/accident-cases)
- [Inhalation safety threshold lineage](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/lineage)

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> **Cite as**: H2 Papers — PMID 41786725. https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/41786725
> **Source**: PubMed PMID [41786725](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41786725/)