Simple, chemoselective hydrogenation with thermodynamic stereocontrol.

Few methods permit the hydrogenation of alkenes to a thermodynamically favored configuration when steric effects dictate the alternative trajectory of hydrogen delivery. Dissolving metal reduction achieves this control, but with extremely low functional group tolerance. Here we demonstrate a catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes that affords the thermodynamic alkane products with remarkably broad functional group compatibility and rapid reaction rates at standard temperature and pressure.