Dual Roles of Co2(CO)8 Enable Carbonylative Ring Expansion of Thietane under Ambient CO Pressure

Cobalt-catalyzed carbonylative ring expansion of thietane under ambient CO pressure was developed, affording a variety of thioacetones in moderate to high yields. dual roles of Co-2(CO)(8) as the precursor of both carbonylation catalyst and Lewis acid was revealed by control experiments and spectroscopic characterization. The carbonylative ring expansion under CO gas-free conditions was demonstrated by using Co-2(CO)(8) as both CO surrogate and pre-catalyst.

Automated summary

The study introduces a method for cobalt-catalyzed carbonylative ring expansion of thietane under ambient CO pressure, showcasing the dual roles of Co-2(CO)(8) as a precursor for both carbonylation catalyst and Lewis acid. Additionally, the carbonylative ring expansion was successfully demonstrated under CO gas-free conditions using Co-2(CO)(8) as both a CO surrogate and pre-catalyst.