Evidence for a one-electron mechanistic regime in dirhodium-catalyzed intermolecular C-H amination

Swift and energy efficient conversion of chemical feedstocks to pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals requires the development of new methods to add nitrogen functionality to unfunctionalized organic substrates. Dirhodium-catalyzed insertion of nitrene species into C-H bonds is a promising new method, the main drawback of which is the currently limited understanding of the catalytic mechanism. Herein, cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis measurements have enabled us to solve many of the mechanistic mysteries of intermolecular C-H amination catalyzed by [Rh(2)(esp)(2)] (esp=α,α,α',α'-tetramethyl-1,3-benzenedipropanoate). The primary result is that, in addition to a simple nitrene-transfer mechanism that dominates the early stages of the reaction, another mechanism is available that relies on sequential proton-coupled electron transfer steps. Whereas the nitrene-transfer mechanism requires the use of expensive, atom-inefficient oxidants, we show that simple one-electron oxidants such as Ce(4+) may be used to achieve catalytic C-H amination via the one-electron mechanistic regime.