Manganese‐Catalyzed Hydroarylation of Unactivated Alkenes

Efficient and chemoselective imine synthesis catalyzed by a well-defined PN3-manganese(II) pincer system

The highly efficient reductive amination of aldehydes with ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen (H2) to form secondary imines is described, as well as the dehydrogenative homocoupling of benzyl amines. Using an air-stable, well-defined PN3-manganese(II) pincer complex as a catalyst precursor, various aldehydes are easily converted directly into secondary imines using NH3 as a nitrogen source under H2 in a one-pot reaction. Importantly, the same catalyst facilitates the dehydrogenative homocoupling of various benzylamines, exclusively forming imine products. These reactions are conducted under very mild conditions, without the addition of any additives, yielding excellent selectivities and high yields of secondary imines in a green manner by minimizing wastes.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Dealkenylative Arylation of Alkenes with Arylboronic Compounds

The C-C bond formation reaction represents a fundamental and important transformation in synthetic chemistry, and exploring new types of C-C bond formation reactions is recognized as appealing, yet challenging. Herein, we disclose the first example of rhodium-catalyzed dealkenylative arylation of alkenes with arylboronic compounds, thereby providing an unconventional access to bi(hetero)aryls with excellent chemoselectivity. In this method, C(aryl)-C(alkenyl) and C(alkenyl)-C(alkenyl) bonds in various alkenes and 1,3-dienes can be cleaved via a hydrometalation and followed by β-carbon elimination pathway for Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. Furthermore, a series of novel organic fluorescent molecules with excellent photophysical properties has been efficiently constructed with this protocol.