Nickel(IV)-Catalyzed C-H Trifluoromethylation of (Hetero)arenes.

This Article describes the development of a stable NiIV complex that mediates C(sp2)-H trifluoromethylation reactions. This reactivity is first demonstrated stoichiometrically and then successfully translated to a NiIV-catalyzed C-H trifluoromethylation of electron-rich arene and heteroarene substrates. Both experimental and computational mechanistic studies support a radical chain pathway involving NiIV, NiIII, and NiII intermediates.

Aryl-Fluoride Bond-Forming Reductive Elimination from Nickel(IV) Centers.

The treatment of pyridine- and pyrazole-ligated NiII σ-aryl complexes with Selectfluor results in C(sp2)-F bond formation under mild conditions. With appropriate design of supporting ligands, diamagnetic NiIV σ-aryl fluoride intermediates can be detected spectroscopically and/or isolated during these transformations. These studies demonstrate for the first time that NiIV σ-aryl fluoride complexes participate in challenging C(sp2)-F bond-forming reductive elimination to yield aryl fluoride products.

Carbon-Carbon Bond-Forming Reductive Elimination from Isolated Nickel(III) Complexes.

This manuscript describes the design, synthesis, characterization, and reactivity studies of organometallic NiIII complexes of general structure TpNiIII(R)(R1) (Tp = tris(pyrazolyl)borate). With appropriate selection of the R and R1 ligands, the complexes are stable at room temperature and can be characterized by cyclic voltammetry, EPR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. Upon heating, many of these NiIII compounds undergo C(sp2)-C(sp2) or C(sp3)-C(sp2) bond-forming reactions that are challenging at lower oxidation states of nickel.