Rhodium Catalyzed Regioselective C−H Allylation of Simple Arenes via C−C Bond Activation of <i>Gem</i>‐difluorinated Cyclopropanes
Zhong‐Tao Jiang, Jiangkun Huang, Yaxin Zeng, Fangdong Hu, Ying Xia
Abstract
Herein, we report a rhodium catalyzed directing-group free regioselective C-H allylation of simple arenes. Readily available gem-difluorinated cyclopropanes can be employed as highly reactive allyl surrogates via a sequence of C-C and C-F bond activation, providing allyl arene derivatives in good yields with high regioselectivity under mild conditions. The robust methodology enables facile late-stage functionalization of complex bioactive molecules. The high efficiency of this reaction is also demonstrated by the high turnover number (TON, up to 1700) of the rhodium catalyst on gram-scale experiments. Preliminary success on kinetic resolution of this transformation is achieved, providing a promising access to enantio-enriched gem-difluorinated cyclopropanes.