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.