m-CAr-H Bond Alkylations and Difluoromethylation of Tertiary Phosphines Using a Ruthenium Catalyst.

m-CAr-H bond functionalization of tertiary phosphines was developed using [Ru(p-cymene)Cl2]2 as a catalyst. Desired product structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Mechanistic experiments indicated that m-CAr-H bond functionalization was a radical reaction and that a hexagonal ruthenacycle complex was a crucial intermediate in the process. Therefore, this study provides a novel method for the late-stage meta-position modification of biphenyl monophosphine ligands.