Rhodium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Imines and Esters from Benzyl Alcohols and Nitroarenes: Change in Catalyst Reactivity Depending on the Presence or Absence of the Phosphine Ligand.

The [Rh(COD)Cl]2/xantphos/Cs2CO3 system efficiently catalyzes the reductive N-alkylation of aryl nitro compounds with alcohols by a borrowing-hydrogen strategy to afford the corresponding imine products in good to excellent yields. In the absence of xantphos, the [Rh(COD)Cl]2/Cs2CO3 catalytic system behaves as an effective catalyst for the dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols to esters, with nitrobenzene as a hydrogen acceptor. The reactivity of the rhodium catalytic system can be easily manipulated to selectively afford the imine or ester.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Carbonylative [2 + 2 + 1] Cycloaddition of Alkynes Using Alcohol as the Carbon Monoxide Source for the Formation of Cyclopentenones.

A highly regioselective rhodium-catalyzed intermolecular carbonylative [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition of alkynes using alcohol as a CO surrogate to access 4-methylene-2-cyclopenten-1-ones has been developed. In this transformation, the alcohol performs multiple roles, including generating the Rh-H intermediate, functioning as the CO source, and assisting in the isomerization of the alkyne. Alkynes can act as both the olefin and the alkyne partner in the cyclopentenone core.