Together with a strongly oxidizing polyoxometalate, H5PV2-Mo10O40, Pt-II(N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)pyrazin-2-ylmethanimine)Cl-2 forms a combined catalyst that was active in the tandem pinacol coupling-rearrangement of aryl aldehydes to give mostly the corresponding diarylacetaldehyde in high yields using molecular hydrogen as the reducing agent.