Manganese N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes for Catalytic Reduction of Ketones with Silanes

Well‐defined manganese(I) carbonyl complexes bearing bis‐N‐heterocyclic carbene ligands are shown to be effective catalysts for the reduction of carbonyl groups through hydrosilylation reactions. A wide variety of ketones are selectively reduced to the corresponding alcohols using phenylsilane, and the cheap and readily abundant polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) in the presence of catalytic amounts of MnI organometallic complexes. Interestingly, α,β‐unsaturated ketones and dialkyl ketones are selectively reduced. Mechanistic studies based on radical scavengers suggest the involvement of radical species in the catalytic reaction.