Selective hydrogenolysis of the aromatic carbon-oxygen (C-O) bonds in aryl ethers is an unsolved synthetic problem important for the generation of fuels and chemical feedstocks from biomass and for the liquefaction of coal. Currently, the hydrogenolysis of aromatic C-O bonds requires heterogeneous catalysts that operate at high temperature and pressure and lead to a mixture of products from competing hydrogenolysis of aliphatic C-O bonds and hydrogenation of the arene. Here, we report hydrogenolyses of aromatic C-O bonds in alkyl aryl and diaryl ethers that form exclusively arenes and alcohols. This process is catalyzed by a soluble nickel carbene complex under just 1 bar of hydrogen at temperatures of 80 to 120°C; the relative reactivity of ether substrates scale as Ar-OAr>>Ar-OMe>ArCH(2)-OMe (Ar, Aryl; Me, Methyl). Hydrogenolysis of lignin model compounds highlights the potential of this approach for the conversion of refractory aryl ether biopolymers to hydrocarbons.

A heterogeneous nickel catalyst for the selective hydrogenolysis of aryl ethers to arenes and alcohols generated without an added dative ligand is described. The catalyst is formed in situ from the welldefined soluble nickel precursor Ni(COD) 2 or Ni-(CH 2 TMS) 2 (TMEDA) in the presence of a base additive, such as t BuONa. The catalyst selectively cleaves C Ar −O bonds in aryl ether models of lignin without hydrogenation of aromatic rings, and it operates at loadings down to 0.25 mol % at 1 bar of H 2 pressure. The selectivity of this catalyst for electronically varied aryl ethers differs from that of the homogeneous catalyst reported previously, implying that the two catalysts are distinct from each other.

We report a series of hydroarylations of unactivated olefins with trifluoromethyl-substituted arenes that occur with high selectivity for the linear product without directing groups on the arene. We also show that hydroarylations occur with internal, acyclic olefins to yield linear alkylarene products. Experimental mechanistic data provide evidence for reversible formation of an alkylnickel−aryl intermediate and rate-determining reductive elimination to form the carbon−carbon bond. Labeling studies show that formation of terminal alkylarenes from internal alkenes occurs by initial establishment of an equilibrating mixture of alkene isomers, followed by addition of the arene to the terminal alkene. Computational (DFT) studies imply that the aryl C−H bond transfers to a coordinated alkene without oxidative addition and support the conclusion from experiment that reductive elimination is rate-determining and forms the anti-Markovnikov product. The reactions are inverse order in α-olefin; thus the catalytic reaction occurs, in part, because isomerization creates a low concentration of the reactant α-olefin.

An efficient procedure for palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of (hetero)aryl bromides and chlorides with primary aliphatic alcohols has been developed. Key to the success is the synthesis and exploitation of the novel bulky di-1-adamantyl-substituted bipyrazolylphosphine ligand L6. Reaction of aryl halides including activated, nonactivated, and (hetero)aryl bromides as well as aryl chlorides with primary alcohols gave the corresponding alkyl aryl ethers in high yield. Noteworthy, functionalizations of primary alcohols in the presence of secondary and tertiary alcohols proceed with excellent regioselectivity.

The first comprehensive study of the catalytic cycle of the palladium-catalyzed formylation of aryl bromides with synthesis gas (CO/H2, 1:1) is presented. The formylation in the presence of efficient (Pd/PR2(n)Bu, R = 1-Ad, (t)Bu) and nonefficient (Pd/P(t)Bu3) catalysts was investigated. The main organometallic complexes involved in the catalytic cycle were synthesized and characterized, and their solution chemistry was studied in detail. Comparison of stoichiometric and catalytic reactions using P(1-Ad)2(n)Bu, the most efficient ligand known for the formylation of aryl halides, led to two pivotal results: (1) The corresponding carbonylpalladium(0) complex [Pd(n)(CO)(m)L(n)] and the respective hydrobromide complex [Pd(Br)(H)L2] are resting states of the active catalyst, and they are not directly involved in the catalytic cycle. These complexes maintain the concentration of most active [PdL] species at a low level throughout the reaction, making oxidative addition the rate-determining step, and provide high catalyst longevity. (2) The product-forming step proceeds via base-mediated hydrogenolysis of the corresponding acyl complex, e.g., [Pd(Br)(p-CF3C6H4CO){P(1-Ad)2(n)Bu}]2 (8), under mild conditions (25-50 degrees C, 5 bar). Stoichiometric studies using the less efficient Pd/P(t)Bu3 catalyst resulted in the isolation and characterization of the first stable three-coordinated neutral acylpalladium complex, [Pd(Br)(p-CF3C6H4CO)(P(t)Bu3)] (10). Hydrogenolysis of 10 needed significantly more drastic conditions compared to that of dimeric 8. In the presence of amine base, complex 10 gave a catalytically inactive diamino acyl complex, which explains the low activity of the Pd/P(t)Bu3 catalyst formylation of aryl bromides.

In this Communication entry 16 in Table 3 shows the wrong substrate and the wrong product: 4-bromoacetophenone as the substrate and 4-hydroxyacetophenone as the product should be replaced by 4-bromobenzophenone and 4-hydroxybenzophenone, respectively.

We report an unprecedented selective cleavage of aromatic C-C bonds through the insertion of well-defined iridium complexes into the aromatic ring of simple alkylarenes. The insertion occurs at 50-100 °C without the activation of weaker C-H and C-C bonds and gives unique metallacycles in high yields. Key to the success of this approach is metal-induced deformation of the arene ring, which creates temporary ring strain and promotes direct and selective insertion of the metal into the otherwise inert arene ring C-C bonds.

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