Oxidatively Induced C–H Activation at High Valent Nickel

This communication describes a series of oxidatively induced intramolecular arene C–H activation reactions of NiII model complexes to yield NiIV σ-aryl products. These reactions proceed within 10 min at room temperature, which represents among the mildest conditions reported for C–H cleavage at a Ni center. A combination of density functional theory and preliminary experimental mechanistic studies implicate a pathway involving initial 2e– oxidation of the NiII starting materials by the F+ transfer reagent N-fluoro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridinium triflate followed by triflate-assisted C–H cleavage at NiIV to yield the products.