Amidines for Versatile Ruthenium(II)‐Catalyzed Oxidative CH Activations with Internal Alkynes and Acrylates

Cationic ruthenium complexes derived from KPF₆ or AgOAc enabled efficient oxidative C?H functionalizations on aryl and heteroaryl amidines. Thus, oxidative annulations of diversely decorated internal alkynes provided expedient access to 1‐aminoisoquinolines, while catalyzed C?H activations with substituted acrylates gave rise to structurally novel 1‐iminoisoindolines. The powerful ruthenium(II) catalysts displayed a remarkably high site‐, regio‐ and, chemoselectivity. Therefore, the catalytic system proved tolerant of a variety of important electrophilic functional groups. Detailed mechanistic studies provided strong support for the cationic ruthenium(II) catalysts to operate by a facile, reversible C?H activation.