Abstract
Secret revealed: The mechanism of the catalytic hydrodefluorination of pentafluorobenzene by the N-heterocyclic carbene complex [Ru(IMes)(PPh 3)2(CO)H2] has been investigated by DFT calculations. Two sets of novel pathways (concerted and stepwise) have been defined whereby a Ru H ligand can act as a nucleophile at the fluoroarene substrate. The most accessible pathway equates to the formation of 1,2,3,4-C6F4H2 and thus accounts for the unusual regioselectivity that is observed experimentally (see scheme).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2783-2786 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Angewandte Chemie - International Edition |
Volume | 50 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 14 Mar 2011 |
Keywords
- C-F activation
- density functional calculations
- fluoroarenes
- hydrodefluorination
- ruthenium