Highly selective insertion into aromatic C–H bonds in rhodium(II) triphenylacetate-catalysed decomposition of α-diazocarbonyl compounds

Abstract

Rhodium(II) triphenylacetate, which features a bulky bridging ligand, has been demonstrated to exhibit an exceptionally high order of selectivity for aromatic C–H insertion over aliphatic C–H insertion or cyclopropanation in catalytic decompositions of α-diazocarbonyl compounds, thus providing an expedient and general entry to variously substituted indan-2-ones.