Selective, radical-free activation of benzylic C-H bonds in methylarenes

Chan, A.P.Y. and Jakoobi, M. and Wang, C. and Tian, Y. and Halcovitch, N. and Boulatov, R. and Sergeev, A.G. (2021) Selective, radical-free activation of benzylic C-H bonds in methylarenes. Chemical Communications, 57 (64). pp. 7894-7897. ISSN 1359-7345

Abstract

We report rare examples of exclusive benzylic C-H oxidative addition in industrially important methylarenes using simple η4-arene iridium complexes. Mechanistic studies showed that coordinatively unsaturated η2-arene intermediates are responsible for the selective activation of benzylic, not aromatic C-H bonds and formation of stable benzyl complexes after trapping with a phosphine ligand.