Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Coupling of Arenes with Cyclopropanols via C-H Activation and Ring Opening

Rhodium-catalyzed C-H activation of arenes has been established as an important strategy for the rapid construction of new bonds. On the other hand, ring-opening of readily available cyclopropanols has served as a driving force for the coupling with various nucleophiles and electrophiles. Nevertheless, these two important areas evolved separately, and coupling of arenes with cyclopropanols via C-H activation has been rarely explored. In this work, the oxidative coupling between arenes and cyclopropanols has been realized with high efficiency and selectivity under Rh(III)-catalysis, providing an efficient route to access beta-aryl ketones. Moreover, the C-H bond has been extended to benzylic C-H bonds.