We then tested this system to other alkyl formates to assess its versatility. The reactions were performed under optimized conditions, monitoring the reaction by 1 H NMR until the maximum conversion was reached (Table ). While full conversion for methyl formate was obtained in 24 hours (Table , Entry 1), ethyl formate was decomposed much more slowly (91 % conversion in 7 days), mainly producing ethane together with traces of the decarbonylation product (ethanol) and the elimination product, ethylene (Table , Entry 2). No reaction was observed with butyl formate. When benzyl formate was used, full conversion was observed in less than 48 hours, but the selectivity dropped, and only 48 % toluene was obtained (Table , Entry 3). Side-products include 32 % of benzyl alcohol and 8 % of benzaldehyde. These compounds may have been formed through decarbonylation of the formate, leading to benzyl alcohol. The latter can be further dehydrogenated to benzaldehyde. To enhance selectivity, we employed the more sterically hindered catalytic system 3 expected to exhibit reduced C-H bond insertion in benzyl formate, thus minimizing decarbonylation. As anticipated, this led to improved selectivity, with 84% toluene observed after 48 hours of heating (Table , Entry 4). Reaction time Conv. (%) Observed products [b] Reaction time until the maximum conversion was reached.