Multiple Aromatic C-H Bond Activations by an Unsaturated Dirhenium Carbonyl Complex

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• C-H Activation
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Background:

• Dirhenium octacarbonyl complexes are known for their reactivity.
• Activation of C-H bonds in aromatic systems is a key challenge in chemistry.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons offer complex structures for chemical modification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the reactivity of Re2(CO)8(μ-C6H5)(μ-H) with naphthalene and anthracene.
• To synthesize and characterize novel multiply C-H activated arene products.
• To investigate the mechanism of C-H activation and metalation under mild conditions.

Main Methods:

• Reaction of the dirhenium complex with naphthalene and anthracene.
• Isolation and purification of reaction products.
• Characterization using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and molecular orbital calculations.

Main Results:

• First examples of multiply C-H activated arene products via reductive elimination of benzene and multiple oxidative additions.
• Synthesis of novel doubly C-H activated isomers with naphthalene and anthracene.
• Formation of a tetra-substituted anthracene product with four dirhenium units.

Conclusions:

• Dirhenium octacarbonyl complexes can achieve multiple C-H activations on PAHs under mild conditions.
• The study provides new insights into the coordination chemistry of dirhenium with aromatic systems.
• The characterized compounds represent a new class of organometallic arene complexes.