Iridium Complex Catalyzed Hydrogen Production from Glucose and Various Monosaccharides

A new catalytic system has been developed for hydrogen production from various monosaccharides, mainly glucose, as a starting material under reflux conditions in water in the presence of a water-soluble dicationic iridium complex bearing a functional bipyridine ligand. For example, the reaction of D-glucose in water under reflux for 20 h in the presence of [Cp*Ir(6,6′-dihydroxy-2,2′-bipyridine)(H2O)][OTf]2 (1.0 mol %) (Cp*: pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, OTf: trifluoromethanesulfonate) resulted in the production of hydrogen gas in 95% yield. In the present catalytic reaction, it was experimentally suggested that dehydrogenation of the alcoholic moiety at 1-position of glucose proceeded.