Cyclooctadiene iridium complexes [Cp*Ir(COD)X]+ (X = Cl, Br, I): Synthesis and application for oxidative coupling of benzoic acid with alkynes

Transition Metal-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization Through Electrocatalysis

Electrochemically promoted transition metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization has emerged as a promising area of research over the last few decades. However, development in this field is still at an early stage compared to traditional functionalization reactions using chemical-based oxidizing agents. Recent reports have shown increased attention on electrochemically promoted metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization. From the standpoint of sustainability, environmental friendliness, and cost effectiveness, electrochemically promoted oxidation of a metal catalyst offers a mild, efficient, and atom-economical alternative to traditional chemical oxidants. This Review discusses advances in the field of transition metal-electrocatalyzed C-H functionalization over the past decade and describes how the unique features of electricity enable metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization in an economic and sustainable way.

Silver-Free C-H Activation: Strategic Approaches towards Realizing the Full Potential of C-H Activation in Sustainable Organic Synthesis

The activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds is considered as one of the most attractive techniques in synthetic organic chemistry because it bears the potential to shorten synthetic routes as well as to produce complementary product scopes compared to traditional synthetic strategies. However, many current methods employ silver salts as additives, leading to stoichiometric metal waste and thereby preventing the full potential of C-H activation to be exploited. Therefore, the development of silver-free protocols has recently received increasing attention. Mechanistically, silver can serve various roles in C-H activation and thus, avoiding the use of silver requires different approaches based on the role it serves in a given process. In this Review, we present the comparison of silver-based and silver-free methods. Focusing on the strategic approaches to develop silver-free C-H activation, we provide the reader with the means to develop sustainable methods for C-H activation.

Teaching cyclopentadienyl how to leave: a case study of [CpIr(COD)Br]+ complex

This work was motivated by a recent report that describes the substitution of the cyclopentadienyl ring in [CpIr(COD)Br]+ with P(OMe)3 in mild conditions. We have shown that the first step...

Easy Access to Versatile Catalytic Systems for C-H Activation and Reductive Amination Based on Tetrahydrofluorenyl Rhodium(III) Complexes

On the basis of the 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrofluorenyl ligand, a simple approach was developed to new effective rhodium catalysts for the construction of C-C and C-N bonds. The halide compounds [(η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)RhX₂ ]₂ (2 a: X=Br; 2 b: X=I) were synthesized by treatment of the bis(ethylene) derivative (η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)Rh(C₂ H₄ )₂ (1 a) with halogens. An analogous reaction of the cyclooctadiene complex (η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)Rh(cod) (1 b) with I₂ is complicated by the side formation of [(cod)RhI]₂ . The reaction of 2 b with 2,2'-bipyridyl leads to cation [(η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)Rh(2,2'-bipyridyl)I]⁺ (3). The halide abstraction from 2 a,b with thallium or silver salts allowed us to prepare sandwich compounds with incoming cyclopentadienyl, dicarbollide and mesityleneligands [(η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)RhCp]⁺ (4), (η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)Rh(η-7,8-C₂ B₉ H₁₁ ) (5), and [(η⁵ -tetrahydrofluorenyl)Rh(η-mesitylene)]²⁺ (6). The structures of 1 b, 2 b ⋅ 2I₂ , 3PF₆ , 4TlI₄ , 5, and [(cod)RhI]₂ were determined by X-ray diffraction. Compounds 2 a,b efficiently catalyze the oxidative coupling of benzoic acids with alkynes to selectively give isocoumarins or naphthalenes, depending on the reaction temperature. Moreover, they showed moderate catalytic activity in other annulations of alkynes with aromatic compounds (such as benzamide, acetanilide, etc.) which proceed through CH activation. Compound 2 b also effectively catalyzes the reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones in the presence of carbon monoxide and water via water-gas shift reaction, giving amines in high yields (67-99 %).

Effect of Cp-Ligand Methylation on Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Annulations of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids with Alkynes: Synthesis of Isocoumarins and PAHs for Organic Light-Emitting Devices

An efficient protocol was developed for the synthesis of π-extended isocoumarins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on the oxidative coupling of aromatic carboxylic acids with internal alkynes catalyzed by (cyclopentadienyl)rhodium complexes. The coupling chemoselectivity strongly depends on whether Cp or the methylated Cp* ligands are used. The pentamethyl derivative [Cp*RhCl₂ ]₂ predominantly gives isocoumarins, while the non-methylated complex [CpRhI₂ ]_n produces naphthalene derivatives. The polyaromatic carboxylic acids (such as 1-naphthoic acid, 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid, fluorene-1-carboxylic acid, and dibenzofuran-4-carboxylic acid) are suitable for this approach. A mixture of Cp*H/RhCl₃ can be used as a catalyst instead of [Cp*RhCl₂ ]₂ . The structures of 3,4-diphenylindeno[1,2-h]isochromen-1(11H)-one and 7,10-dimethyl-8,9-diphenylbenzo[pqr]tetraphene were determined by X-ray diffraction. In addition, the optical properties of the prepared compounds were studied. 7,8-Diphenyl-10H-phenaleno[1,9-gh]isochromen-10-one was employed as an emissive layer for OLED manufacturing. The OLED emits yellow-green light with a maximum intensity 1740 cd ⋅ m^-2 at 15 V.

Electrochemistry-Enabled Ir-Catalyzed Vinylic C-H Functionalization

Synergistic use of electrochemistry and organometallic catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool for site-selective C-H functionalization, yet this type of transformation has thus far mainly been limited to arene C-H functionalization. Herein, we report the development of electrochemical vinylic C-H functionalization of acrylic acids with alkynes. In this reaction an iridium catalyst enables C-H/O-H functionalization for alkyne annulation, affording α-pyrones with good to excellent yields in an undivided cell. Preliminary mechanistic studies show that anodic oxidation is crucial for releasing the product and regeneration of an Ir(III) intermediate from a diene-Ir(I) complex, which is a coordinatively saturated, 18-electron complex. Importantly, common chemical oxidants such as Ag(I) or Cu(II) did not give significant amounts of the desired product in the absence of electrical current under otherwise identical conditions.