--- title: "Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation Template | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-wilkinson-hydrogenation/ description: "Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation template: Hydrogenation cycle of Wilkinson's catalyst: oxidative addition of H₂ to RhCl(PPh₃)₂, alkene…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/catalytic-cycles/) › Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation [Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/catalytic-cycles/)Premium # Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation template ![Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation template: Hydrogenation cycle of Wilkinson's catalyst: oxidative addition of H₂ to RhCl(PPh₃)₂, alkene coordination and migratory insertion into Rh–H, and C–H reductive elimination of the alkane; key step: 1,2-insertion of the alkene into the Rh–H bond.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-wilkinson-hydrogenation.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Hydrogenation cycle of Wilkinson's catalyst: oxidative addition of H₂ to RhCl(PPh₃)₂, alkene coordination and migratory insertion into Rh–H, and C–H reductive elimination of the alkane; key step: 1,2-insertion of the alkene into the Rh–H bond. ## What the template shows - RhCl(PPh₃)₃ adds H₂ across a C=C bond through a Rh(I)/Rh(III) cycle - Overall: R–CH=CH₂ + H₂ → R–CH₂–CH₃ (cat. RhCl(PPh₃)₃, 25 °C, 1 atm H₂) - RhH₂ClL₂ - RhH(CH₂CH₂R)ClL₂ - Rh(III), alkyl hydride - RhCl(PPh₃)₃ − PPh₃ - The precatalyst RhCl(PPh₃)₃ (16 e⁻) loses one PPh₃ to give the active 14-electron RhCl(PPh₃)₂. - Both H atoms add to the same face of the alkene (syn addition), as the cis dihydride delivers them. - Less hindered alkenes react faster, so terminal and cis alkenes are reduced selectively; C=O, NO₂ and CO₂R survive. - Rh(I) → Rh(III) on adding H₂; reductive elimination of the alkane returns Rh(I). - Key step: migratory insertion into Rh–H - The Rh–H bond electrons go with H to one alkene carbon while the π electrons form the Rh–C bond: a four-centre, syn addition of Rh and H that puts Rh on the terminal carbon. - L = PPh₃; ligands are named in the captions, not drawn · every part of this figure is editable Drawn with 23 atoms, 6 arrows, 51 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Osborn, Jardine, Young & Wilkinson, J. Chem. Soc. A 1966, 1711](https://doi.org/10.1039/J19660001711) Original paper - [Crabtree, The Organometallic Chemistry of the Transition Metals, 6th ed., Wiley 2014](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781118138076) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation template free? You can preview the Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### What does a catalytic cycle template show? The active catalyst, each intermediate around the cycle, the substrates that enter and the products that leave, with each elementary step named on its arrow. ## More catalytic cycles templates [**Suzuki–Miyaura coupling**Free · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-suzuki-miyaura/)[**Mizoroki–Heck reaction**Free · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-mizoroki-heck/)[**Olefin metathesis (Chauvin mechanism)**Free · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-olefin-metathesis/)[**Buchwald–Hartwig amination**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-buchwald-hartwig/)[**Sonogashira coupling**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-sonogashira/)[**Negishi coupling**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-negishi/)[**Stille coupling**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-stille/)[**Wacker oxidation**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-wacker-oxidation/) ## Related pages [**All Catalytic cycles templates**10 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/catalytic-cycles/)[**All chemistry templates**370 templates in 29 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 370 templates - Export the 291 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. Every template can be opened and edited in MolDraw.