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

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00087a080

In catalytic hydrogenolysis of an aryl-aryl carbon-carbon bond with a rhodium complex, we used a rhodium system that should provide a thermodynamically favored C-C cleavage complex by making strong metal-aryl bonds. The cleavage of the well-hidden carbon-carbon bond of biphenylene is described which relies both on a strained four membered ring and on the formation of a stable pentametallacycle. The results show that C-H activation and coordination are probably involved in the process leading to C-C bond cleavage.