Synthesis of Dibenzo[c,e]oxepin‐5(7H)‐ones from Benzyl Thioethers and Carboxylic Acids: Rhodium‐Catalyzed Double C?H Activation Controlled by Different Directing Groups

A rhodium(III)‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of benzyl thioethers and aryl carboxylic acids through the two directing groups is reported. Useful structures with diverse substituents were efficiently synthesized in one step with the cleavage of four bonds (C H, C S, O H) and the formation of two bonds (C C, C O). The formed structure is the privileged core in natural products and bioactive molecules. This work highlights the power of using two different directing groups to enhance the selectivity of a double C H activation, the first of such examples in cross‐oxidative coupling.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Remote C(sp3)−H Borylation of Silyl Enol Ethers

A rhodium-catalyzed remote C(sp³)−H borylation of silyl enol ethers (SEEs, E/Z mixtures) by alkene isomerization and hydroboration is reported. The reaction exhibits mild reaction conditions and excellent functional-group tolerance. This method is compatible with an array of SEEs, including linear and branched SEEs derived from aldehydes and ketones, and provides direct access to a broad range of structurally diverse 1,n-borylethers in excellent regioselectivities and good yields. These compounds are precursors to various valuable chemicals, such as 1,n-diols and aminoalcohols.     

Enantioselective Hydrosilylation of β,β-Disubstituted Enamides to Construct α-Aminosilanes with Vicinal Stereocenters

Despite the advances in the area of catalytic alkene hydrosilylation, the enantioselective hydrosilylation of alkenes bearing a heteroatom substituent is scarce. Here we report a rhodium-catalyzed hydrosilylation of β,β-disubstituted enamides to directly afford valuable α-aminosilanes in a highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective manner. Stereodivergent synthesis could be achieved by regulating substrate geometry and ligand configuration to generate all the possible stereoisomers in high enantio-purity.     

C−N Coupling through Hydroaminoalkylation on a Single-Atom Rh Heterogeneous Catalyst

C−N coupling is significant for the synthesis of fine chemicals toward various applications. Hydroaminoalkylation of olefins is a tandem reaction of C−N coupling involving first the formation of an aldehyde through hydroformylation of an olefin and then the production of amine through reductive amination of the aldehyde. Here we report a stable, supported catalyst of singly dispersed Rh₁ atoms anchored on TiO₂ (P25) nanoparticles designated as Rh₁/P25. Its high activity for C−N coupling was demonstrated by six hydroaminoalkylations of olefins and amines with selectivity of higher than 90% for producing tertiary amines. The singly dispersed Rh₁O₄ on P25 exhibit activity and selectivity for hydroaminoalkylation comparable or even higher than some reported molecular catalysts. In contrast to molecular catalysts, the Rh-based single-atom Rh heterogeneous catalysis (Rh₁/P25) can be readily separated from reactants and products, reused for multiple runs of hydroaminoalkylation, and recycled with a low cost.     

The Indenyl Effect: Accelerated C−H Amidation of Arenes via Ind*RhIII Nitrene Transfer Catalysis**

Investigations into C−H amidation reactions catalysed by cationic half-sandwich d⁶ metal complexes revealed that the indenyl-derived catalyst [Ind*RhCl₂]₂ significantly accelerated the directed ortho C−H amidation of benzoyl silanes using 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones. Ring slippage involving a haptotropic η⁵ to η³ rearrangement of the indenyl complex proposedly enables ligand substitution at the metal centre to proceed via associative, rather than dissociative pathways, leading to significant rate and yield enhancements. Intriguingly, this phenomenon appears specific for C−H amidation reactions involving weakly coordinating carbonyl-based directing groups with no acceleration observed for the corresponding reactions involving strongly coordinating nitrogen-based directing groups.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Regio- and Diastereoselective [3+2] Cycloaddition of gem-Difluorinated Cyclopropanes with Internal Olefins

Direct synthesis of gem-difluorinated carbocyclic molecules represents a longstanding challenge in organic chemistry. Herein, a Rh-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reaction between readily available gem-difluorinated cyclopropanes (gem-DFCPs) and internal olefins has been developed, enabling the efficient synthesis of gem-difluorinated cyclopentanes with good functional group compatibility, excellent regioselectivity and good diastereoselectivity. The resulting gem-difluorinated products can undergo downstream transformations to access various mono-fluorinated cyclopentenes and cyclopentanes. This reaction demonstrates the use of gem-DFCPs as a type of “CF₂” C3 synthon for cycloaddition under transition metal catalysis, which provides potential strategy for synthesizing other gem-difluorinated carbocyclic molecules.     

Breaking Surface Atomic Monogeneity of Rh2P Nanocatalysts by Defect-Derived Phosphorus Vacancies for Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation

Breaking atomic monogeneity of catalyst surfaces is promising for constructing synergistic active centers to cope with complex multi-step catalytic reactions. Here, we report a defect-derived strategy for creating surface phosphorous vacancies (P-vacancies) on nanometric Rh₂P electrocatalysts toward drastically boosted electrocatalysis for alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). This strategy disrupts the monogeneity and atomic regularity of the thermodynamically stable P-terminated surfaces. Density functional theory calculations initially verify that the competitive adsorption behavior of H_ad and OH_ad on perfect P-terminated Rh₂P{200} facets (p-Rh₂P) can be bypassed on defective Rh₂P{200} surfaces (d-Rh₂P). The P-vacancies enable the exposure of sub-surface Rh atoms to act as exclusive H adsorption sites. Therein, the H_ad cooperates with the OH_ad on the peripheral P-sites to effectively accelerate the alkaline HOR. Defective Rh₂P nanowires (d-Rh₂P NWs) and perfect Rh₂P nanocubes (p-Rh₂P NCs) are then elaborately synthesized to experimentally represent the d-Rh₂P and p-Rh₂P catalytic surfaces. As expected, the P-vacancy-enriched d-Rh₂P NWs catalyst exhibits extremely high catalytic activity and outstanding CO tolerance for alkaline HOR electrocatalysis, attaining 5.7 and 14.3 times mass activity that of p-Rh₂P NCs and commercial Pt/C, respectively. This work sheds light on breaking the surface atomic monogeneity for the development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts.