Relay Catalysis Enables Hydrogen Gas to Participate in Asymmetric Organocatalytic Hydrogenation

Teamwork: Through relay catalysis by a RuII complex and a chiral phosphoric acid ((S)-BPA in the scheme) recently developed by Zhou's group, hydrogen gas can act as the terminal reductant in the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of heterocycles. This is a completely new concept in the area of asymmetric hydrogenation.