A substituent-induced post-assembly modification cascade of a metallosupramolecular imine-type Co-complex

Abstract

Here, we report a reaction cascade employing the substituent-induced post-assembly modification of a Co(III) complex. Unexpectedly, we found that the (triisopropylsilyl)alkynyl moiety introduced to the Sonogashira reaction with the bromo-functionalized Co(III) assembly plays a “Trojan horse” role, triggering a subsequent, second step of the cascade, i.e. Co(III) to Co(II) reduction. The reported substituent-activated Sonogashira-redox cascade reaction might set a new direction in the construction of specific chemical sensors.