Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of an aryl-aryl carbon-carbon bond with a rhodium complex

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00087a080· OSTI ID:7267441
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)

Recent publications have brought renewed interest to the quest for homogeneous catalytic activation of carbon-carbon bonds. However, except for a few reports of biphenylene cleavage, the mechanism and scope of aryl-aryl C-C bond activation remains relatively uninvestigated. In the hope of overcoming the obstacle of weak M-C bonds, we used a rhodium system that should provide a thermodynamically favored C-C cleaved complex by making strong metal-aryl bonds. Reaction of (C[sub 5]Me[sub 5])Rh(PMe[sub 3])(Ph)(H) (1) with 1.5 equiv of biphenylene in cyclohexane-d[sub 12] at 65[degree]C resulted in the quantitative formation of (CC[sub 5]Me[sub 5])Rh(PMe[sub 3]) (biphenylenyl(H)) (2), along with a small amount of a red complex. The cleavage of the well-hidden carbon-carbon bond of biphenylene described relies both on a strained four-membered ring and on the formation of a stable pentametallacycle. The results show that C-H activation and [eta][sup 2] coordination are probably involved in the process leading to C-C bond cleavage, and valuable information can be obtained from studies of this system. 21 refs., 1 fig.

DOE Contract Number:
FG02-86ER13569
OSTI ID:
7267441
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States) Vol. 116:8; ISSN JACSAT; ISSN 0002-7863
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English