Cp*CoIII‐Catalyzed CH Activation of (Hetero)arenes: Expanding the Scope of Base‐Metal‐Catalyzed CH Functionalizations

Directed activation: Cationic Cp*CoIII (Cp*=1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) complexes, either well-defined or in situ-generated, promote catalytic functionalization of arene CH bonds with a variety of electrophilic reaction partners by directed CH activation. These complexes not only emulate known reaction patterns of Cp*RhIII analogues, but also exhibit remarkable catalytic activity or unique reactivity. DG=Directing group.