Rhodium-Catalyzed Reaction of Aroyl Chlorides with Alkynes

Aroyl chlorides react with terminal alkynes accompanied by decarbonylation in the presence of a catalytic amount of RhCl(cod)(2) and PPh(3) to give the corresponding vinyl chloride derivatives regio- and stereoselectively in good yields. The catalyst efficiency is a marked function of the ratio of PPh(3) to the rhodium species; satisfactory results are obtained by employing a PPh(3)/Rh ratio of 1.0. The reaction may involve chlororhodation to the alkynes by the intermediary arylchlororhodium(III) species generated in situ followed by reductive elimination of the products, which are suggested by the results of some control experiments. In contrast to the reaction with terminal alkynes, that with some internal ones proceeds without decarbonylation to produce 2,3-disubstituted-1-indenones as the predominant products. The product structures suggest that, while the arylchlororhodium intermediate is also involved, arylrhodation to the alkynes, reinsertion of CO (coordinated to the metal), and intramolecular cyclization sequentially take place to give the indenones.