The
synthesis of complex molecules like active pharmaceutical ingredients
typically requires multiple single-step reactions, in series or in
a modular fashion, with laborious purification and potentially unstable
intermediates. Cascade processes offer attractive synthetic remediation
as they reduce time, energy, and waste associated with multistep syntheses.
For example, triarylmethanes are traditionally prepared via several synthetic steps, and only a handful of cascade routes are
known with limitations due to high catalyst loadings. Here, we present
an expedient catalytic cascade process to produce triarylmethanes.
For this purpose, we have developed a bifunctional iridium system
as the efficient catalyst to build heterotriaryl synthons via reductive Friedel–Crafts alkylation from ketones,
arenes, and hydrogen. The catalytically active species were generated in situ from a robust triazolyl iridium(III) hydride complex
and acid and is composed of a metal-bound hydride and a proximal ligand-bound
proton for reversible dihydrogen release. These complexes catalyze
the direct hydrogenation of ketones at slow rates followed by dehydration.
Appropriate adjustment of the conditions successfully intercepts this
dehydration and leads instead to efficient C–C coupling and
Friedel–Crafts alkylation. The scope of this cascade process
includes a variety of carbonyl substrates such as aldehydes, (alkyl)(aryl)ketones,
and diaryl ketones as precursor electrophiles with arenes and heteroarenes
for Friedel–Crafts coupling. The reported method has been validated
in a swift one-step synthesis of the core structure of a potent antibacterial
agent. Excellent yields and exquisite selectivities were achieved
for this cascade process with unprecedentedly low iridium loadings
(0.02 mol %). Moreover, the catalytic activity of the protic system
is significantly higher than that of an N-methylated
analogue, confirming the benefit of the Ir–H/N–H hydride-proton
system for high catalytic performance.