The first enantioselective sp-sp3 cross-coupling reaction between alkynyl organometals and racemic benzyl bromides is reported. The coupling is performed at room temperature by using NiBr2diglyme and (S)-(iPr)-Pybox as the catalytic system and trialkynylindium reagents as nucleophiles. The reaction is stereoconvergent, both enantiomers of the racemic benzyl bromide are converted into one enantiomer of the product, and stereospecific. The reaction takes place efficiently in good yields and with high atom economy, as the triorganoindium reagents transfer the three organic groups attached to indium (only 40 mol % of R3In is used).

The use of BINAP-based palladium(0) catalysts in the reaction of 7-methoxy-1,2-didehydronaphthalene (2) and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) affords non-racemic 9,12-dimethoxypentahelicene 1 with reasonable ees, among other cycloaddition products. This is the first example of an enantioselective, metal-catalyzed cycloaddition involving arynes.

Understanding the mechanisms involved in the covalent attachment of organic molecules to surfaces is a major challenge for nanotechnology and surface science. On the basis of classical organic chemistry mechanistic considerations, key issues such as selectivity and reactivity of the organic adsorbates could be rationalized and exploited for the design of molecular-scale circuits and devices. Here we use tris(benzocyclobutadieno)triphenylene, a singular Y-shaped hydrocarbon containing antiaromatic cyclobutadienoid rings, as a molecular probe to study the reaction of polycyclic conjugated molecules with atomic scale moieties, dangling-bond (DB) dimers on a hydrogen-passivated Ge(001):H surface. By combining molecular design, synthesis, scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) and computational modeling, we show that the attachment involves a concerted [4+2] cycloaddition reaction that is completely site-selective and fully reversible. This selectivity, governed by the bond alternation induced by the presence of the cyclobutadienoid rings, allows for the control of the orientation of the molecules with respect to the surface DB-patterning. We also demonstrate that by judicious modification of the electronic levels of the polycyclic benzenoid through substituents, the reaction barrier height can be modified. Finally, we show that after deliberate tip-induced covalent bond cleavage, adsorbed molecules can be used to fine tune the electronic states of the DB dimer. This power to engineer deliberately the bonding configuration and electronic properties opens new perspectives for creating prototypical nanoscale circuitry.

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