The highly enantioselective and complete hydrogenation of protected indoles and benzofurans has been developed, affording facile access to a range of chiral three-dimensional octahydroindoles and octahydrobenzofurans, which are prevalent in many bioactive molecules and organocatalysts. Remarkably, we are in control of the nature of the ruthenium N-heterocyclic carbene complex and employed the complex as both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, providing new avenues for its potential applications in the asymmetric hydrogenation of more challenging aromatic compounds.
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