Novel rhodium-1,3-dialkyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ylidene complexes as catalysts for arylation of aromatic aldehydes

Six new rho dium-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ylidene complexes (2a-f) have been prepared and characterized by C, H, N analysis, H-1 NMR and C-13 NMR. Phenylboronic acid reacts with aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of the new rhodium(l)-carbene complexes, RhCl(COD)(1,3-dialkyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ylidene), (2a-f), to give the corresponding secondary aryl alcohols in good yields (72-96%). (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.