Three orthogonal cascade CH functionalization processes are described, based on ruthenium-catalyzed CH alkenylation. 1-Indanones, indeno indenes, and indeno furanones were accessed through cascade pathways by using arylacetophenones as substrates under conditions of catalytic [{Ru(p-cymene)Cl2 }2 ] and stoichiometric Cu(OAc)2 . Each transformation uses CH functionalization methods to form CC bonds sequentially, with the indeno furanone synthesis featuring a CO bond formation as the terminating step. This work demonstrates the power of ruthenium-catalyzed alkenylation as a platform reaction to develop more complex transformations, with multiple CH functionalization steps taking place in a single operation to access novel carbocyclic structures.
Keywords: C-H activation; cascade chemistry; homogeneous catalysis; oxidative coupling; ruthenium.
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