Cobalt­(II) halides in combination with phenoxyimine (FI) ligands generated efficient precatalysts in situ for the C­(sp2)–C­(sp3) Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling between alkyl bromides and neopentylglycol (hetero)­arylboronic esters. The protocol enabled efficient C–C bond formation with a host of nucleophiles and electrophiles (36 examples, 34–95%) with precatalyst loadings of 5 mol %. Studies with alkyl halide electrophiles that function as radical clocks support the intermediacy of alkyl radicals during the course of the catalytic reaction. The improved performance of the FI–cobalt catalyst was correlated with decreased lifetimes of cage-escaped radicals as compared to those of diamine-type ligands. Studies of the phenoxyimine–cobalt coordination chemistry validate the L,X interaction leading to the discovery of an optimal, well-defined, air-stable mono-FI–cobalt­(II) precatalyst structure.

A cobalt-catalyzed intermolecular three-component coupling of arenes, ethylene, and alkynes was developed using the well-defined air-stable cationic bis­(phosphine) cobalt­(I) complex, [(dcype)­Co­(η6-C7H8)]­[BArF 4] (dcype = 1,2-bis­(dicyclohexylphosphino)­ethane; BArF 4 = B­[(3,5-(CF3)2)­C6H3]4), as the precatalyst. All three components were required for turnover and formation of ortho-homoallylated arene products. A range of directing groups including amide, ketone, and 2-pyridyl substituents on the arene promoted the reaction. The cobalt-catalyzed method exhibited broad functional group tolerance allowing for the late-stage functionalization of two drug molecules, fenofibrate and haloperidol. A series of control reactions, deuterium labeling studies, resting state analysis, as well as synthesis of substrate- and product-bound η6-arene complexes supported a pathway involving C­(sp 2 )–H activation from a cobalt­(III) metallacycle.

The mechanism of phenoxyimine (FI)−cobalt-catalyzed C(sp 2 )−C(sp 3 ) Suzuki−Miyaura cross-coupling was studied using a combination of kinetic measurements and catalytic and stoichiometric experiments. A series of dimeric (FI)cobalt(II) bromide complexes, [(4-CF 3 PhFI)CoBr] 2 , [(4-OMePhFI)CoBr] 2 , and [(2,6-di i PrPhFI)CoBr] 2 , were isolated and characterized by 1 H and 19 F NMR spectroscopies, solution and solid-state magnetic susceptibility, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY). One complex, [(4-CF 3 PhFI)CoBr] 2 , was explored as a single-component precatalyst for C(sp 2 )−C(sp 3 ) Suzuki−Miyaura cross-coupling. Addition of potassium methoxide to [(4-CF 3 PhFI)CoBr] 2 generated the corresponding (FI)cobalt(II) methoxide complex as determined by 1 H and 19 F NMR and EPR spectroscopies. These spectroscopic signatures were used to identify this compound as the resting state during catalytic C(sp 2 )− C(sp 3 ) coupling. Variable time normalization analysis (VTNA) of in situ catalytic 19 F NMR spectroscopic data was used to establish an experimental rate law that was first-order in a (FI)cobalt(II) precatalyst, zeroth-order in the alkyl halide, and first-order in an activated potassium methoxide−aryl boronate complex. These findings are consistent with turnover-limiting transmetalation that occurs prior to activation of the alkyl bromide electrophile. The involvement of boronate intermediates in transmetalation was corroborated by Hammett studies of electronically differentiated aryl boronic esters. Together, a cobalt(II)/cobalt(III) catalytic cycle was proposed that proceeds through a "boronate"-type mechanism.

The synthesis and characterization of phenoxy(imine) iron(II) alkyl precatalysts for C(sp 2 )−C(sp 3 ) Suzuki−Miyaura crosscoupling of aryl boronic esters and alkyl bromides is described. Addition of phenoxyimines (FI) to (py) 2 Fe(CH 2 SiMe 3 ) 2 (py = pyridine) afforded the high-spin iron(II) alkyl derivatives, (FI)Fe-(CH 2 SiMe 3 )(py) with varying N-imine substituents. With both neopentyl glycol-protected (BNeo) and pinacol-protected boronic ester (BPin) aryl nucleophiles, an iron-catalyzed cross-coupling method was realized that utilizes mild alkoxide bases. Optimal performance was observed in nonpolar solvents with anisole and fluorobenzene identified as more benign alternatives to benzene. The scope of this transformation includes high efficiency C(sp 2 )−C(sp 3 ) bond formation with both primary and secondary alkyl bromides with electron-deficient aryl and heteroaryl nucleophiles. Substrates with base-sensitive functionality including ester and nitrile groups were tolerated, highlighting the broader compatibility with an alkoxide base. Radical clock experiments support the formation of electrophile-derived radicals during catalysis, and experiments with preformed potassium aryl boronates demonstrate the role of boronate intermediates in transmetalation.

The harvesting of visible light is a powerful strategy for the synthesis of weak chemical bonds involving hydrogen that are below the thermodynamic threshold for spontaneous H 2 evolution. Piano-stool iridium hydride complexes are effective for the blue-light-driven hydrogenation of organic substrates and contra-thermodynamic dearomative isomerization. In this work, a combination of spectroscopic measurements, isotopic labeling, structure–reactivity relationships, and computational studies has been used to explore the mechanism of these stoichiometric and catalytic reactions. Photophysical measurements on the iridium hydride catalysts demonstrated the generation of long-lived excited states with principally metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) character. Transient absorption spectroscopic studies with a representative substrate, anthracene revealed a diffusion-controlled dynamic quenching of the MLCT state. The triplet state of anthracene was detected immediately after the quenching events, suggesting that triplet–triplet energy transfer initiated the photocatalytic process. The key role of triplet anthracene on the post-energy transfer step was further demonstrated by employing photocatalytic hydrogenation with a triplet photosensitizer and a HAT agent, hydroquinone. DFT calculations support a concerted hydrogen atom transfer mechanism in lieu of stepwise electron/proton or proton/electron transfer pathways. Kinetic monitoring of the deactivation channel established an inverse kinetic isotope effect, supporting reversible C(sp 2 )–H reductive coupling followed by rate-limiting ligand dissociation. Mechanistic insights enabled design of a piano-stool iridium hydride catalyst with a rationally modified supporting ligand that exhibited improved photostability under blue light irradiation. The complex also provided improved catalytic performance toward photoinduced hydrogenation with H 2 and contra-thermodynamic isomerization.