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In contrast to the plethora of large-bite-angle bisphosphine ligands available to transition-metal catalysis, the development of small-bite-angle bisphosphine ligands has suffered from the limited ...

Manganese(I)-catalyzed C–H activation of indoles and divergent annulative coupling with alkyne-tethered cyclohexadienones has been realized under operationally simple conditions. These annulation systems are under condition control. The coupling in the presence of BPh3 additive followed a C–H activation-alkyne insertion-Michael addition pathway, affording an exocyclic olefin attached to a tetrahydrofuran ring. In contrast, when Zn(OAc)2/PivOH additives were introduced, initial olefination en route to intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction and subsequent elimination of an alcohol was followed to deliver a fused six-membered ring. The selectivity stands in contrast to those reported using rhodium(III) and cobalt(III) catalysts, highlighting the unique reactivity and selectivity of manganese catalysts.

An efficient, atom-economical, and regioselective insertion of indoles into terminal alkynes has been realized via cobalt(III)-catalyzed C–H activation under mild conditions, leading to efficient synthesis of α-gem-vinylindoles. The insertion of the alkynes follows a rare 1,2-selectivity, and silyl alkynes, alkyl alkynes, propargyl alcohols, and protected propargyl amines are all applicable. The mechanism of this hydroarylation system has been studied in detail by a combination of experimental and computational approaches. In the reaction of silyl terminal alkynes, the regioselectivity is dictated by the steric effects of the alkyne substituent, especially in the protonolysis stage. However, for protected propargyl amines, the selectivity results from electronic effects during the insertion step, with protonolysis being insignificant in the determination of selectivity. An internal alkyne also coupled in high efficiency but with low regioselectivity. Comparisons of cobalt, rhodium, and iridium catalysts h...

Carbonyl groups are ubiquitous in functional molecules. Although C–H bond acylation has been well-studied via different mechanisms, transition-metal-catalyzed redox-neutral C(sp3)–H acylation under mild conditions is unprecedented. In this work, ketene is designed as a acylating reagent for both C(sp3)–H and C(sp2)–H bonds under Rh(III) catalysis, affording a diverse array of carbonyl compounds in high yields and high atom economy under mild conditions.

Rhodium-catalyzed C–H activation of arenes has been established as an important strategy for the rapid construction of new bonds. On the other hand, ring-opening of readily available cyclopropanols has served as a driving force for the coupling with various nucleophiles and electrophiles. Nevertheless, these two important areas evolved separately, and coupling of arenes with cyclopropanols via C–H activation has been rarely explored. In this work, the oxidative coupling between arenes and cyclopropanols has been realized with high efficiency and selectivity under Rh(III)-catalysis, providing an efficient route to access β-aryl ketones. Moreover, the C–H bond has been extended to benzylic C–H bonds.