Chemical Science
Edge Article
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We have disclosed a thorough mechanistic study on the
branched-selective hydroacylation of 2-vinylphenols with a wide
range of aryl, alkenyl, and alkyl aldehydes. Analysis of the
catalyst resting states revealed that most of the catalyst is
sequestered as an inactive double salt of Rh, while the active
catalyst consists of a Rh(dcpm)(vinylphenolate) fragment. Non-
directed oxidative addition of Rh to the aldehyde C–H bond
occurs even at room temperature, followed by rapid hydro-
acylation. This strong binding of the vinylphenolate is likely a
key to promoting hydroacylation over competitive aldehyde
decarbonylation and aldol dehydration. KIE measurements and
a Hammett study support oxidative addition as the turnover-
limiting step. The high reactivity of neutral [Rh(X)(dcpm)]
fragments likely arises from the electron-rich character of the
complex, and small bite angle of the diphosphine, which
promotes oxidative addition. In contrast, previous studies that
use chelating aldehydes involve a fast and reversible C–H bond
activation. This difference in mechanism highlights the chal-
lenge of non-directed aldehyde activation. Given the mild
conditions of this transformation, [Rh(X)(dcpm)] fragments
hold promise for future hydroacylations with non-chelating
aldehydes.
Acknowledgements
We thank the National Institutes of Health (GM105938) for
funding. S.K.M. is grateful for a Canada Graduate Scholarship
(CGS), and A.B. is grateful for a fellowship within the Postdoc-
Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
We thank Dr Joseph W. Ziller and Jordan Corbey for X-ray
crystallographic analysis.
7 Q. A. Chen, D. K. Kim and V. M. Dong, J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
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8 For branched-selective hydroacylation using complementary
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