Cp*Rh(III)-Catalyzed Directed C-H Methylation and Arylation of Quinoline N-Oxides at the C-8 Position

Herein, we report a Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed directed C-H methylation of quinoline N-oxides at the C-8 position using commercially available organotrifluoroborates as reagents. This method features perfect regioselectivity, relatively mild reaction conditions, and diverse functional group tolerance with good to excellent yields. Additionally, direct C-8 arylated quinoline N-oxides products could also be obtained under the same conditions. Preliminary mechanistic experiments were conducted and a possible mechanism was proposed.