A Versatile Ru(II)-NNP Complex Catalyst for the Synthesis of Multisubstituted Pyrroles and Pyridines

A pincer-type Ru­(II)-NNP complex bearing a pyrazolyl-(NH-PtBu2)-pyridine ligand was synthesized and structurally characterized by NMR, IR, elemental analysis, and X-ray single-crystal crystallographic determinations, which efficiently catalyzed the synthesis of multisubstituted pyrroles and pyridines by means of the reactions of secondary alcohols and β- or γ-amino alcohols through deoxygenation and selective C–N and C–C bond formation. The coupling reactions took place with 0.3 mol % catalyst loading and tolerated diverse functional groups. The present work provides an alternative method to construct highly active transition-metal complex catalysts from readily available ligands.