X-H Bond Insertion Promoted by Heterogeneous Dirhodium Metal-Organic Cage with Alkynes as Safe Carbene Precursors

A facile and efficient methodology for the generation of the C-X (X = Si, B) bond through a carbene insertion process was demonstrated using a dirhodium metal-organic cage, MOC-Rh-1, as a heterogeneous catalyst. A series of functionalized alkynes were utilized as safe carbene precursors to furnish Si-H and B-H insertion products in moderate to excellent yields. These reactions featured a high atom-economy, a broad substrate scope, and mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the as-prepared MOC-Rh-1 catalyst was recovered easily from the reaction system by simple centrifugation and reused for ten runs without a significant loss in activity, which made good use of the valuable precious metal rhodium.

Automated summary

A facile and efficient methodology using a dirhodium metal-organic cage as a heterogeneous catalyst was demonstrated for the generation of C-X (X = Si, B) bond through a carbene insertion process. Functionalized alkynes served as safe carbene precursors and yielded Si-H and B-H insertion products in moderate to excellent yields. The reactions showed high atom-economy, broad substrate scope, and mild reaction conditions. The MOC-Rh-1 catalyst could be easily recovered and reused without significant loss in activity.