Ruthenium-catalysed oxidation of alcohols to amides using a hydrogen acceptor

Abstract A wider investigation into the synthesis of secondary amides from primary alcohols using a hydrogen acceptor using commercially available [Ru( p -cymene)Cl 2 ] 2 with bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (dppb) as the catalyst. The report looks at over 50 examples with varying functionality and steric bulk, whilst also covering the first reported results using microwave heating to effect the transformation.