Iridium versus Iridium: Nanocluster and Monometallic Catalysts Carrying the Same Ligand Behave Differently.

A specific secondary phosphine oxide (SPO) ligand (tert-butyl(phenyl)phosphine oxide) was employed to generate two iridium catalysts, an Ir-SPO complex and IrNPs (iridium nanoparticles) ligated with SPO ligands, which were compared mutually and with several supported iridium catalysts with the aim to establish the differences in their catalytic properties. The Ir-SPO-based catalysts showed totally different activities and selectivities in the hydrogenation of various substituted aldehydes, in which H