The aim of this master thesis was to study the tandem reaction, which consists of the coupling between styrenes and halogenated benzaldehydes, and subsequent reduction of aldehyde to alcohol. The reactions were carried out in the presence of a nickel catalyst under reductive conditions and an inert atmosphere where the two described sequential reactions both occurr within the same reaction mixture. We utilized the formation of a nickel hydride via a nickel catalyst under reductive conditions. This hydride coordinates to the double bond of styrene, which then reacts further with the halogenated benzaldehyde to form a new C─C bond and eliminate and regenerate a halogenated nickel complex. The coupling intermediate then undergoes successive reduction of the carbonyl group to the final benzyl alcohol with a benzyl-attached aryl ring.
We have successfully synthesized 5 new structurally complex products in 10 independent combinations of styrenes and halogenated aldehydes. Additionally, part of the work focused on the optimization of the reaction conditions and product isolation to maximize the overall yield of the process. Finally, all products were adequately characterized using $^1$H NMR, $^{13}$C NMR, IR spectroscopy, and HRMS analyses.
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