Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed C-H Arylation of Azoarenes by Carboxylate Assistance

Ruthenium(II)carboxylate complexes enabled the unprecedented direct C-H arylation of azoarenes with aryl halides through chelation assistance. The mild reaction conditions of the optimized C-H functionalization process resulted in a remarkable functional group tolerance. The proximity-induced C-H arylation proceeded with high positional selectivity and could be performed in a one-pot protocol along with a azoarene reduction, providing expedient access to ortho-arylated anilines.