Transfer Dehydrogenations of Alkanes and Related Reactions Using Iridium Pincer Complexes

This chapter covers advances during the past 5 years in using iridium pincer complexes for transfer dehydrogenations of alkanes as well as related reactions which couple dehydrogenation with other transformations. Several new pincer complexes are described which have emerged during this period and which have added not only to the scope of available catalysts but also to the range of substrates and products generated. Transfer dehydrogenation has been linked with other reactions to produce catalytic systems that carry out alkane metatheses, generate benzene bearing a long-chain linear alkyl group from ethyl benzene and linear alkanes, couple alkanes with alkenes, and use transfer dehydrogenation in combination with Diels–Alder chemistry to produce para-xylene from ethylene as the sole feedstock.