Carbene–Transition Metal Complexes Formed by Double C?H Bond Activation

The activation of a single sp³ C? H bond of alkanes and their derivatives by electron‐rich transition metal complexes has been a topic of interest since the landmark work by Bergman and Graham in 1982. Ten years later, it was shown that compounds of 5d elements, such as osmium and iridium, even enable a double α‐C? H bond activation of alkane or cycloalkane derivatives containing an OR or NR₂ functional group, thus opening up a new route to obtain Fischer‐type transition metal carbene complexes. Subsequent work focused in particular on the conversion of methyl alkyl and methyl aryl ethers into bound oxocarbenes and also of dimethyl amines to bound aminocarbenes. In the context of this work, it was recently shown that square‐planar oxocarbene–iridium(I) complexes prepared in this way exhibit an unusual mode of reactivity: They react with CO₂, CS₂, COS, PhNCO, and PhNCS by an atom‐ or group‐transfer metathesis, which has no precedent. Organic azides RN₃ and N₂O behave similarly. Recent results confirm that this novel type of metathesis can be made catalytic, thus offering a novel possibility for C? H bond functionalization.     

Polymerization of Ethylene by Silica‐Supported Dinuclear CrIII Sites through an Initiation Step Involving C?H Bond Activation

The insertion of an olefin into a preformed metal–carbon bond is a common mechanism for transition‐metal‐catalyzed olefin polymerization. However, in one important industrial catalyst, the Phillips catalyst, a metal–carbon bond is not present in the precatalyst. The Phillips catalyst, CrO₃ dispersed on silica, polymerizes ethylene without an activator. Despite 60 years of intensive research, the active sites and the way the first Cr C bond is formed remain unknown. We synthesized well‐defined dinuclear Cr^II and Cr^III sites on silica. Whereas the Cr^II material was a poor polymerization catalyst, the Cr^III material was active. Poisoning studies showed that about 65 % of the Cr^III sites were active, a far higher proportion than typically observed for the Phillips catalyst. Examination of the spent catalyst and isotope labeling experiments showed the formation of a Si–(μ‐OH)–Cr^III species, consistent with an initiation mechanism involving the heterolytic activation of ethylene at Cr^III O bonds.     

Oxygen‐Promoted C?H Bond Activation at Palladium

[Pd(P(Ar)(tBu)₂)₂] ( 1 , Ar=naphthyl) reacts with molecular oxygen to form Pd^II hydroxide dimers in which the naphthyl ring is cyclometalated and one equivalent of phosphine per palladium atom is released. This reaction involves the cleavage of both C H and O O bonds, two transformations central to catalytic aerobic oxidizations of hydrocarbons. Observations at low temperature suggest the initial formation of a superoxo complex, which then generates a peroxo complex prior to the C H activation step. A transition state for energetically viable C H activation across a Pd peroxo bond was located computationally.     

Amide‐Directed Tandem C?C/C?N Bond Formation through C?H Activation

The transformation of C? H bonds into other chemical bonds is of great significance in synthetic chemistry. C? H bond‐activation processes provide a straightforward and atom‐economic strategy for the construction of complex structures; as such, they have attracted widespread interest over the past decade. As a prevalent directing group in the field of C? H activation, the amide group not only offers excellent regiodirecting ability, but is also a potential C? N bond precursor. As a consequence, a variety of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles have been obtained by using these reactions. This Focus Review addresses the recent research into the amide‐directed tandem C? C/C? N bond‐formation process through C? H activation. The large body of research in this field over the past three years has established it as one of the most‐important topics in organic chemistry.     

Synthesis of Phenanthridinones from N‐Methoxybenzamides and Aryltriethoxysilanes through RhIII‐Catalyzed C?H and N?H Bond Activation

An efficient method for the one‐pot synthesis of substituted phenanthridinone derivatives from N‐methoxybenzamides and aryltriethoxysilanes through rhodium‐catalyzed dual C? H bond activation and annulation reactions is described. A double‐cycle mechanism is proposed to account for this catalytic reaction. In addition, isotope‐labeling studies were performed to understand the intimate mechanism of the reaction.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Dearomative Cyclocarbonylation by C?N Bond Activation

A fundamentally novel approach to bioactive quinolizinones is based on the palladium‐catalyzed intramolecular cyclocarbonylation of allylamines. [Pd(Xantphos)I₂], which features a very large bite angle, has been found to facilitate the rapid carbonylation of azaarene‐substituted allylamines into bioactive quinolizinones in good to excellent yields. This transformation represents the first dearomative carbonylation and is proposed to proceed by palladium‐catalyzed C N bond activation, dearomatization, CO insertion, and a Heck reaction.     

Direct ortho‐Arylation of N‐Phenacylpyridinium Bromide by Palladium‐Catalyzed C?H‐Bond Activation

A novel palladium catalyzed direct ortho‐arylation of N‐phenacylpyridinium bromide was developed. The amazing N‐phenacyl group regioselectively activates the C? H bond of pyridine and automatically departs from the arylated products. A kinetic isotope effect study proved that the reaction went through a C? H‐bond activation pathway and 2,6‐diphenylpyridine was produced stepwise from 2‐phenylpyridine.