Surendra Thapa, Roshan K. Dhungana, Rajani Thapa Magar, Bijay Shrestha, Shekhar KC and Ramesh Giri
Chem. Sci., 2018,9, 904-909
DOI:
10.1039/C7SC04351A,
Edge Article
We report a Ni-catalysed diarylation of unactivated olefins in dimethylpyridylvinylsilane by intercepting Heck C(sp3)–NiX intermediates, derived from aryl halides, with arylzinc reagents. This approach utilizes a modifiable pyridylsilyl moiety as a coordinating group that plays a dual role of intercepting oxidative addition species to promote Heck carbometallation, and stabilizing the Heck C(sp3)–NiX intermediates as transient metallacycles to suppress β-hydride elimination, and facilitate transmetalation/reductive elimination. This method affords 1,2-diarylethylsilanes, which can be readily oxidized to 1,2-diarylethanols that occur as structural motifs in 3-aryl-3,4-dihydroisocoumarin and dihydrostilbenoid natural products.