Dirhodium(ii)/P(t-Bu)₃ catalyzed tandem reaction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with arylboronic acids

Phosphine ligated dirhodium(ii) acetate is advocated as a catalyst for the synthesis of aryl alkyl ketones by the tandem reaction of α,β-unsaturated aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes with arylboronic acids. This tandem procedure included arylation followed by the isomerization reaction. This method exhibits good functional group tolerance and has a broad substrate scope. With the conjugated aldehydes, the one-step synthesis of γ,δ-unsaturated ketones was realized through this reaction. It is noteworthy that the length of the Rh-P bond is an important factor affecting catalytic reactions. The comparative analysis of the crystal structures of axially alkylphosphane and arylphosphane ligated dirhodium(ii) acetate revealed that the shorter Rh-P bond length favors the isomerization process as compared to the longer one. In addition, the dirhodium(ii) compound can be recovered after the completion of the reaction.