Cp*Rh(III)-Catalyzed ortho-Alkylation/Alkenylation of Nitroarenes

Org Lett. 2023 Jul 21;25(28):5185-5190. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c01614. Epub 2023 Jul 13.

Abstract

Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed nitro-directed C-H alkylation/alkenylation of nitroarenes has been reported for the first time. This protocol is associated with the features of high efficiency, broad substrate scope, and good functional group compatibility. Additionally, gram-scale experiments and synthetic applications proved the practicability of the method. Moreover, preliminary mechanistic investigations consistently revealed C-H bond cleavage as the rate-limiting step.