Highly Selective Metal Catalysts for Intermolecular Carbenoid Insertion into Primary CH Bonds and Enantioselective CC Bond Formation

Primary CH bond activation! A Rh complex of bis-pocket porphyrin I catalyzes carbenoid insertion into the CH bonds of n-alkanes with a primary/secondary selectivity (per CH bond) of up to 11.4:1 (see picture). Enantioselective secondary CH bond functionalization catalyzed by a Rh complex of Halterman's chiral porphyrin features up to 93 % ee. These reactions exhibit up to 6477 turnovers after the catalyst was recycled five times.