Chemoselective Semihydrogenation of Azoarenes to Hydrazoarenes under Atmospheric Pressure Catalyzed by a Metal–Ligand Bifunctional Iridium Catalyst

(0.1 equiv), a range of desirable products was obtained in high yields. Moreover, no over-reduction of hydrazoarenes to anilines was observed during the catalytic process. Functional groups in bpy ligand are crucially important for the catalytic activity of iridium complexes. Then, density functional theory calculations and the practical application of the present catalytic system were also presented.