Mild Cobalt(III)‐Catalyzed C–H Hydroarylation of Conjugated C=C/C=O Bonds

Abstract

Abstract An efficient cobalt(III)‐catalyzed C‐2‐selective indole C–H hydroarylation of acrolein, enones, and glyoxylates was achieved under mild reaction conditions. The versatile cobalt(III) catalyst displayed excellent positional selectivity with the assistance of pyrimidinyl, pyridyl, and pyrazolyl directing groups, thus overcoming the inherent C‐3 selectivity of an electrophilic indole derivatization. This approach provides an expedient route to indolyl‐substituted aldehydes, ketones, and esters with wide functional group tolerance. In addition, it also features high step‐ and atom‐economy. magnified image