Cobalt(II)/N-hydroxyphthalimide Catalyzed Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction at Room Temperature Under Aerobic Condition

What is it about?

This work reports a Cobalt(II)/N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative oxidative coupling of N-aryl tetrahydroisoquinolines with various pro-nucleophiles such as indoles, nitroalkanes, trialkylphosphites, active methylene compounds and other nucleophiles such as cyanide (ethyl cyanoformate) at room temperature under aerobic conditions. The present protocol is operationally simple, can be carried out without photoirradiation and under peroxide free conditions even on gram scale to afford the products in good to excellent yields. Based on mass spectrometry and control experiments, a catalytic reaction pathway has been proposed.

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