InCl3-Catalyzed Synthesis of 1,2-Dimetallic Compounds by Direct Insertion of Aluminum or Zinc Powder

Fe-Catalyzed Difunctionalization of Aryl Titanates Enabled by Fe/Ti Synergism

Fe-catalyzed difunctionalization of aryl titanates via double C-H activation has been developed, where aryl titanates were arylated via ortho C-H activation, followed by ipso electrophilic trapping of the C-Ti bond. The ortho C-H arylation should be promoted by a 1,2-Fe/Ti synergistic heterobimetallic arylene intermediate and represents an ortho C-H ferration directed by a readily transformable C-Ti group. Common benzamides, esters, and nitriles function as arylating reagents, which involves another ortho C-H activation directed by these functionalities.

Synergism of Fe/Ti Enabled Regioselective Arene Difunctionalization

Regioselective difunctionalization of arenes remains a long-standing challenge in organic chemistry. We report a novel and general Fe/Ti synergistic methodology for regioselective synthesis of various polysubstituted arenes through either E/E' or Nu/E ortho difunctionalizations of arenes. Preliminary results showed that an unprecedented 1,2-Fe/Ti heterobimetallic arylene intermediate bearing two distinct C-M bonds is essential to the regioselective difunctionalization.

Metallic salt-catalyzed direct indium insertion into alkyl iodides and their applications in cross-coupling reactions

An efficient method for the synthesis of alkyl indium reagents via an indium(iii) or lead(ii) halide-catalyzed direct insertion of indium into alkyl iodides is developed. NMR and ESI-MS analyses indicated the formation of a mixture of an alkyl indium dihalide (RInX₂) and a dialkyl indium halide (R₂InX).

Iron-mediated highly diastereoselective allylation of carbonyl compounds with cyclic allylic halides

An efficient iron-mediated highly diastereoselective allylation reaction of carbonyl compounds with cyclic allylic halides using a catalytic amount of bismuth(iii) chloride is reported.

Stability and Unimolecular Reactivity of Palladate(II) Complexes [Ln PdR3 ]- (L=Phosphine, R=Organyl, n=0 and 1)

The reduction of Pd^II precatalysts to catalytically active Pd⁰ species is a key step in many palladium-mediated cross-coupling reactions. Besides phosphines, the stoichiometrically used organometallic reagents can afford this reduction, but do so in a poorly understood way. To elucidate the mechanism of this reaction, we have treated solutions of Pd(OAc)₂ and a phosphine ligand L in tetrahydrofuran with RMgCl (R=Ph, Bn, Bu) as well as other organometallic reagents. Analysis of these model systems by electrospray- ionization mass spectrometry found palladate(II) complexes [L_n PdR₃ ]^- (n=0 and 1), thus pointing to the occurrence of transmetallation reactions. Upon gas-phase fragmentation, the [L_n PdR₃ ]^- anions preferentially underwent a reductive elimination to yield Pd⁰ species. The sequence of the transmetallation and reductive elimination, thus, constitutes a feasible mechanism for the reduction of the Pd(OAc)₂ precatalyst. Other species of interest observed include the Pd^IV complex [PdBn₅ ]^- , which did not fragment via a reductive elimination but lost BnH instead.

Iron-Catalyzed Acylation of Polyfunctionalized Aryl- and Benzylzinc Halides with Acid Chlorides

FeCl2 (5 mol %) catalyzes a smooth and convenient acylation of functionalized arylzinc halides at 50 °C (2-4 h) and benzylic zinc chlorides at 25 °C (0.5-4 h) with a variety of acid chlorides leading to polyfunctionalized diaryl and aryl heteroaryl ketones.