Single‐Face/All‐ cis Arene Hydrogenation by a Supported Single‐Site d 0 Organozirconium Catalyst

Titanium-Mediated Catalytic Hydrogenation of Monocyclic and Polycyclic Arenes

Two electron-reduction of the Ti^IV guanidinate complex (Im^Dipp N)(^Xyket guan)TiCl₂ gives (η⁶ -Im^Dipp N)(^xyket guan)Ti (1^intra ) and (Im^Dipp N)(^Xyket guan)Ti(η⁶ -C₆ H₆ ) (1^inter ) (^Xyket guan=[(tBuC=N)C(NXylyl)₂ ]^- , Xylyl=2,5-dimethylphenyl) in the absence or presence of benzene, respectively. These complexes have been found to hydrogenate monocyclic and polycyclic arenes under relatively mild conditions (150 psi, 80 °C)-the first example of catalytic, homogeneous arene hydrogenation with TON >1 by a Group IV system.

Accessing Difluoromethylated and Trifluoromethylated cis-Cycloalkanes and Saturated Heterocycles: Preferential Hydrogen Addition to the Substitution Sites for Dearomatization

Reported here is a straightforward process in which a cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene/Rh catalyst system facilitates the preferential addition of hydrogen to the substitution sites of difluoromethylated and trifluoromethylated arenes and heteroarenes, leading to dearomative reduction. This strategy enables the diastereoselective synthesis of cis-difluoromethylated and cis-trifluoromethylated cycloalkanes and saturated heterocycles, and even allows formation of all-cis multi-trifluoromethylated cyclic products with a defined equatorial orientation of the di- and trifluoromethyl groups. Deuterium-labeling studies indicate that hydrogen preferentially attacks the substitution sites of planar arenes, resulting in dearomatization, possibly with heterogeneous Rh as the reactive species, followed by either reversible or irreversible hydrogen addition to the nonsubstitution sites.

Selective Arene Hydrogenation for Direct Access to Saturated Carbo- and Heterocycles

Arene hydrogenation provides direct access to saturated carbo- and heterocycles and thus its strategic application may be used to shorten synthetic routes. This powerful transformation is widely applied in industry and is expected to facilitate major breakthroughs in the applied sciences. The ability to overcome aromaticity while controlling diastereo-, enantio-, and chemoselectivity is central to the use of hydrogenation in the preparation of complex molecules. In general, the hydrogenation of multisubstituted arenes yields predominantly the cis isomer. Enantiocontrol is imparted by chiral auxiliaries, Brønsted acids, or transition-metal catalysts. Recent studies have demonstrated that highly chemoselective transformations are possible. Such methods and the underlying strategies are reviewed herein, with an emphasis on synthetically useful examples that employ readily available catalysts.

Hydrogenation of (Hetero)aryl Boronate Esters with a Cyclic (Alkyl)(amino)carbene-Rhodium Complex: Direct Access to cis-Substituted Borylated Cycloalkanes and Saturated Heterocycles

We herein report the hydrogenation of substituted aryl- and heteroaryl boronate esters for the selective synthesis of cis-substituted borylated cycloalkanes and saturated heterocycles. A cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene-ligated rhodium complex with two dimethyl groups at the ortho-alkyl scaffold of the carbene showed high reactivity in promoting the hydrogenation, thereby enabling the hydrogenation of (hetero)arenes with retention of the synthetically valuable boronate group. This process constitutes a clean, atom-economic, as well as chemo- and stereoselective route for the generation of cis-configured, diversely substituted borylated cycloalkanes and saturated heterocycles that are usually elusive and difficult to prepare.