Enantioselective Cobalt(III)-Catalyzed C-H Activation Enabled by Chiral Carboxylic Acid Cooperation

The enantioselective cobalt(III)-catalyzed C-H alkylation was achieved through the design of a novel chiral acid. The cobalt(III)-catalyzed enantioselective C-H activation was characterized by high position-, regio- and enantio-control under exceedingly mild reaction conditions. Thereby, the robust cooperative cobalt(III) catalysis proved tolerant of valuable electrophilic functional groups, including hydroxyl, bromo, and iodo substituents. Mechanistic studies revealed a considerable additive effect on kinetics and on a negative non-linear-effect.