Highly efficient conjugate reduction of α,β-unsaturated nitriles catalyzed by copper/xanthene-type bisphosphine complexes

Alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles are chemoselectively reduced to the corresponding saturated nitriles in high yields using a copper-DPEphos or Xantphos complex as catalyst in the presence of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) as the stoichiometric reducing agent and t-butanol as additive.