title: Rhodium- and iridium-catalyzed oxidative coupling of benzoic acids with alkynes via regioselective C-H bond cleavage.
abstract: The oxidative coupling of benzoic acids with internal alkynes effectively proceeds in the presence of [Cp*RhCl2]2 and Cu(OAc)2 x H2O as catalyst and oxidant, respectively, to produce the corresponding isocoumarin derivatives. The copper salt can be reduced to a catalytic quantity under air. Interestingly, by using [Cp*IrCl2]2 in place of [Cp*RhCl2]2, the substrates undergo 1:2 coupling accompanied by decarboxylation to afford naphthalene derivatives exclusively. In this case, Ag2CO3 acts as an effective oxidant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ueura
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miura