No abstract

Air-stable Rh complexes ligated by strongly σ-donating cyclic (amino)(alkyl)carbenes (CAACs) show unique catalytic activity for the selective hydrogenation of aromatic ketones and phenols by reducing the aryl groups. The use of CAAC ligands is essential for achieving high selectivity and conversion. This method is characterized by its good compatibility with unsaturated ketones, esters, carboxylic acids, amides, and amino acids and is scalable without detriment to its efficiency.

Cyclic (amino)(aryl)carbenes (CAArCs) result from the replacement of the alkyl substituent of cyclic (alkyl)(amino) carbenes (CAACs) by an aryl group. This structural modification leads to enhanced electrophilicity of the carbene center with retention of the high nucleophilicity of CAACs, and therefore CAArCs feature a small singlet-triplet gap. The isoindolium precursors are readily prepared in good yields, and deprotonation at low temperature, in the presence of [RhCl(cod)]2 and [(Me2S)AuCl] lead to air-stable rhodium and gold CAArC-supported complexes, respectively. The rhodium complexes promote the [3+2] cycloaddition of diphenylcyclopropenone with ethyl phenylpropiolate, and induce the addition of 2-vinylpyridine to alkenes by CH activation. The gold complexes allow for the catalytic three-component preparation of 1,2-dihydroquinolines from aniline and phenyl acetylene. These preliminary results illustrate the potential of CAArC ligands in transition-metal catalysis.