Iron-Catalyzed, Highly Regioselective Synthesis of α-Aryl Carboxylic Acids from Styrene Derivatives and CO2

The iron-catalyzed hydrocarboxylation of aryl alkenes has been developed using a highly active bench-stable iron(II) precatalyst to give alpha-aryl carboxylic acids in excellent yields and with near-perfect regioselectivity. Using just 1 mol % FeCl2, bis(imino)pyridine 6 (1 mol %), CO2 (atmospheric pressure), and a hydride source (EtMgBr, 1.2 equiv), a range of sterically and electronically differentiated aryl alkenes were transformed to the corresponding alpha-aryl carboxylic acids (up to 96% isolated yield). The catalyst was found to be equally active with a loading of 0.1 mol %. Preliminary mechanistic investigations show that an iron-catalyzed hydrometalation is followed by transmetalation and reaction with the electrophile (CO2).