The rhodium-catalyzed synthesis of silafluorenes from biphenylhydrosilanes is described. This highly efficient reaction proceeds via both Si-H and C-H bond activation, producing only H(2) as a side product. Using this method, a ladder-type bis-silicon-bridged p-terphenyl could also be synthesized.

Isobenzofuran can be prepared from o-phthalaldehyde using hydrosilane. The formed isobenzofuran is trapped by an alkene via a Diels-Alder reaction. Further dehydration proceeds to furnish the conjugated aromatic compound. This multistep reaction was promoted by catalytic amounts of Sc(OTf)(3).

We have succeeded in formal regioselective functionalization of alkanes by iridium-catalyzed dehydrogenation, hydrozirconation of the resulting alkenes, and electrophilic reaction of the generated alkylzirconium intermediate.

Facile Sc(OTf) 3 -Catalyzed Generation and Successive Aromatization of Isobenzofuran from o-Dicarbonylbenzenes. -An unstable isobenzofuran intermediate is formed from the starting carbonyl compounds and trapped by an alkene via Diels--Alder reaction followed by dehydration. The pentacenediones (IX) and (XI) are generated as precursors to substituted derivatives which are important organic electronic materials. -(NISHINA*, Y.; KIDA, T.; URESHINO, T.; Org. Lett. 13 (2011) 15, 3960-3963, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ol201479p ; Res. Core Interdiscip. Sci., RCIS,

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The iridium‐catalyzed dehydrogenation of alkanes followed by hydrozirconation of the resulting mixture of alkenes leads to isomerized 1‐alkylzirconocene intermediates, which can be readily trapped by different electrophiles.