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Published on: May 20, 2019
Room-Temperature C-C Bond Cleavage and Ring Expansion of Benzene by a Copper(I)-Substituted Silylene
Jiabao Chang1, Cheng Xu1, Yaofeng Chen1
1Spin-X Institute, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou510641, China.
Abstract:
The cleavage and functionalization of benzene C-C bonds under mild conditions is of fundamental interest yet remains challenging. Herein, we report that an in situ generated copper(I)-substituted silylene undergoes reversible insertion into benzene at room temperature, affording a silepin with a reactive Cu-Si bond. This metal-silicon linkage enables diverse substitutions (H, halogen, alkyl, allyl, allenyl, propargyl) through facile cleavage, offering a mild strategy for benzene ring expansion and functionalization.
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