Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Iron-Promoted Oxidative Annulation of Arylglyoxal with Alkyne: Unusual Addition and Migration on the Aryl Ring

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b05981

New Mechanistic Insights on the Selectivity of Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Organic Reactions: The Role of Computational Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.6b00093

Metal control of selectivity in acetate-assisted C–H bond activation: an experimental and computational study of heterocyclic, vinylic and phenylic C(sp2)–H bonds at Ir and Rh

Computational characterization of a mechanism for the copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative trifluoromethylation of terminal alkynes

Computational study on mechanism of Rh(iii)-catalyzed oxidative Heck coupling of phenol carbamates with alkenes

A systematic theoretical study on the Rh-catalyzed oxidative Heck-coupling of phenol carbamates with alkenes is carried out. Two possible mechanisms (i.e. arene activation-first and alkene activation-first mechanisms) are examined. As to the C–H activation step, four mechanisms including oxidative addition, electrophilic substitution, concerted metallation-deprotonation (CMD), and σ-bond metathesis are evaluated. The calculation results indicate that the arene activation-first mechanism is more favorable for the overall catalytic cycle. This mechanism involves three steps: arene C–H activation at the position ortho to the carbamate directing group affording a six-membered rhodiacycle intermediate, insertion of the alkene double bond into the Rh(III)–aryl bond, and a final β-H elimination step to release the product and re-generate the catalyst. The rate determining step of the overall catalytic cycle is the arene C–H activation step, which is found to proceed through the acetate-assisted CMD mechanism.