Theoretical Study on the Copper-Catalyzed ortho-Selective C-H Functionalization of Naphthols with α-Phenyl-α-Diazoesters.

ABSTRACT: The aromatic C(sp²)-H functionalization of unprotected naphthols with α-phenyl-α-diazoesters under mild conditions catalyzed by CuCl and CuCl₂ exhibits high efficiency and unique ortho-selectivity. In this study, the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experiments is employed to investigate the mechanism of C-H functionalization, which reveals the fundamental origin of the site-selectivity. It explains that CuCl-catalyzed ortho-selective C-H functionlization is due to the bimetallic carbene, which differs from the reaction catalyzed by CuCl₂ via monometallic carbene. The results demonstrate the function of favourable H-bond interactions on the site- and chemo-selectivity of reaction through stabilizing the rate-determining transition states in proton (1,3)-migration.

SUBMITTER: Zhu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9960375 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature