Cp*Co(III)-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydroarylation of Unactivated Terminal Alkenes via C-H Activation

Enantioselective hydroarylation of unactivated terminal akenes constitutes a prominent challenge in organic chemistry. Herein, we reported a Cp*Co(III)-catalyzed asymmetric hydroarylation of unactivated aliphatic terminal alkenes assisted by a new type of tailor-made amino acid ligands. Critical to the chiral induction was the engaging of a novel noncovalent interaction (NCI), which has seldomly been disclosed in the C-H activation area, arising from the molecular recognition among the organocobalt(III) intermediate, the coordinated alkene, and the well-designed chiral ligand. A broad range of C2-alkylated indoles were obtained in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. DFT calculations revealed the reaction mechanism and elucidated the origins of chiral induction in the stereodetermining alkene insertion step.

Automated summary

The study reports a Cp*Co(III)-catalyzed asymmetric hydroarylation of unactivated aliphatic terminal alkenes assisted by tailor-made amino acid ligands. A novel noncovalent interaction was found critical for the chiral induction, resulting in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities of C2-alkylated indoles. DFT calculations revealed the reaction mechanism and origins of chiral induction in the stereodetermining alkene insertion step.