Sulfonamido-phosphoramidite ligands lead to the formation of Rh-Rh dinuclear complexes through the anionic P-N- bridging character. The resulting "boat-shaped" dinuclear catalysts activate molecular H-2 through a cooperative dinuclear endocyclic mechanism, resulting in one bridging and one classical hydride on the dinuclear complex. These new complexes are very active hydrogenation catalysts that operate via a new cooperative hydrogenation activation mechanism, as calculated with density functional theory, and they display unequaled high selectivities in the hydrogenation of hindered cyclic acetamidoalkenes.