Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation in a room temperature ionic liquid using chiral Rh-complex of ionic liquid grafted 1,4-bisphosphine ligand

Introduction of imidazolium ionic liquid pattern to the catalyst not only avoided catalyst leaching but also increased the stability of catalyst in ionic liquid, and thus, the Rh-complex of 1,4-bisphosphine bearing two imidazolium salt moieties was successfully immobilized in an ionic liquid and reused several times for the hydrogenation of an enamide without significant loss of catalytic efficiency.