Post-coordination of Ru(ii) controlled regioselective B(4)–H acylmethylation of o-carboranes with sulfoxonium ylides†

Abstract

Despite significant progress in the B–H functionalization of carboranes, the development of cost-effective catalytic systems devoid of noble metals, coupled with mechanistic validation of regioselectivity control, remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we disclose an Ag salt-free, redox-neutral, and inexpensive ruthenium(II)-catalyzed protocol that enables exclusive B(4)–H acylmethylation of o-carboranes through a novel post-coordination strategy. By exploiting weakly coordinating carboxylic acid as a traceless directing group, this method achieves excellent mono-site selectivity for B–C(sp³) bond formation using diverse sulfoxonium ylides, demonstrating both functional group tolerance and synthetic scalability. This work not only establishes a practical synthetic platform but also addresses critical mechanistic questions unresolved in prior analogous studies. Through deuterium labeling, in situ high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) tracking, and single-crystal X-ray analysis of critical Ru intermediates, we unequivocally demonstrate that the mono-site selectivity originates from a unique post-coordination mode of Ru(II). The Ru catalyst simultaneously engages both the carboxylic acid and the enolizable acylmethyl moiety in the mono-acylated intermediate, thereby dictating the B(4)–H activation trajectory. Our findings establish a generalizable platform for regiocontrolled carborane functionalization while defining mechanistic paradigms in transition metal-mediated B–H activation chemistry.