“…Catalysts have played a key role in α-alkylation of amides, which achieved the dehydrogenation of alcohols to aldehydes and the hydrogenation of intermediate α,β-unsaturated amides. Previously, efficient catalysts for these transformations of alcohols and amides were mainly based on transition-metal complexes, including ruthenium, iridium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel . However, these systems suffered from some drawbacks, such as the need for expensive, air-sensitive metal precursors and ligands to prepare metal complexes as catalysts and a limited range of substrates.…”