Ligands
are the most commonly used means to control the regioselectivity
of organic reactions. It is very important to develop new regioselective
control methods for organic synthesis. In this study, we designed
and synthesized a single-atomic-site catalyst (SAC), namely, Cu1-TiC,
with strong electronic metal–support interaction (EMSI) effects
by studying various reaction mechanisms. π cloud back-donation
to the alkyne on the metal catalytic intermediate was enhanced during
the reaction by using transient electron-rich characteristics. In
this way, the reaction achieved highly linear-E-type
regioselective conversion of electronically unbiased alkynes and completely
avoided the formation of branched isomers (ln:br >100:1, TON up
to
612, 3 times higher than previously recorded). The structural elements
of the SACs were designed following the requirements of the synthesis
mechanism. Every element in the catalyst played an important role
in the synthesis mechanism. This demonstrated that the EMSI, which
is normally thought to be responsible for the improvement in catalytic
efficiency and durability in heterogeneous catalysis, now first shows
exciting potential for regulating the regioselectivity in homogeneous
catalysis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.