Chemoselective reduction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes using an unsupported nanoporous gold catalyst

The remarkable effect of an unsupported nanoporous gold catalyst (AuNPore) on chemoselective hydrogenation of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes using silane has been described. Enals can be reduced with excellent selectivity, giving the corresponding allylic alcohols in good to high chemical yields.