Electrooxidative Rhodium-Catalyzed [5+2] Annulations via C-H/O-H Activations

Electrooxidative annulations involving mild transition metal-catalyzed C-H activation have emerged as a transformative strategy for the rapid construction of five- and six-membered heterocycles. In contrast, we herein describe the first electrochemical metal-catalyzed [5+2] cycloadditions to assemble valuable seven-membered benzoxepine skeletons by C-H/O-H activation. The efficient alkyne annulation featured ample substrate scope, using electricity as the only oxidant. Mechanistic studies provided strong support for a rhodium(III/I) regime, involving a benzoxepine-coordinated rhodium(I) sandwich complex as the catalyst resting state, which was re-oxidized to rhodium(III) by anodic oxidation.