A Chemoselective Hydrogenation of the Olefinic Bond of α,β‐Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds in Aqueous Medium under Microwave Irradiation

A microwave‐assisted mild and ecofriendly catalytic transfer hydrogenation process was developed to reduce various α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds into the corresponding saturated carbonyl compounds in the presence of silica‐supported palladium chloride as catalyst and a combination of MeOH/HCOOH/H2O (1 : 2 : 3) as hydrogen source within 22–55 minutes in moderate to excellent yields with 100% chemoselectivity.