Dehydrogenation of <i>n</i>-Alkanes Catalyzed by Iridium “Pincer” Complexes: Regioselective Formation of α-Olefins

The development of methods for the functionalization of alkanes is of cardinal importance in catalytic chemistry. A specific functionalization of particularly great potential value is the conversion of n-alkanes to the corresponding 1-alkenes ({alpha}-olefins) since these serve as precursors for a wide range of commodity-scale chemicals (>2 {times} 10{sup 9} kg/yr). Such a conversion is also an intriguing challenge as viewed from a fundamental perspective. n-Alkanes are the simplest organic molecules with the potential to undergo regioselective transformations; {alpha}-olefins are the thermodynamically least stable of the corresponding double-bond isomers and any mechanism for their formation must presumably involve activation of the strongest bond (primary C-{single_bond}H) in the molecule.