Distortion/Interaction Analysis Reveals the Origins of Selectivities in Iridium-Catalyzed C–H Borylation of Substituted Arenes and 5-Membered Heterocycles

The iridium-catalyzed borylation of mono- and disubstituted arenes and heteroarenes has been studied with density functional theory. The distortion/interaction model was employed to understand the origins of selectivities in these reactions. Computations revealed that the transition states for C-H oxidative addition are very late, resembling the aryl iridium hydride intermediate with a fully formed Ir-C bond. Consequently, the regioselectivity is mainly controlled by differences in the interaction energies between the iridium catalyst and arene carbon.