Indenyl rhodium complexes. Synthesis and catalytic activity in reductive amination using carbon monoxide as a reducing agent

Indenyl-ligated rhodium(III) catalyst [(η5-indenyl)RhX2]n (1) is reported for the synthesis of alkylated amines via catalytic reductive amination using carbon monoxide as a reducing agent. Water as a solvent was found to be the best media for the reaction. Complex 1 was synthesized via a high-yielding procedure based on the reaction of bis(ethylene) derivative (η5-indenyl)Rh(C2H4)2 with iodine. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.