Synthesis of Bidentate Nitrogen Ligands by Rh-Catalyzed C-H Annulation and Their Application to Pd-Catalyzed Aerobic C-H Alkenylation.

A new class of bidentate ligands was prepared by a modular approach involving Rh-catalyzed C-H annulation reactions. The resulting conformationally constrained ligands enabled the Pd-catalyzed C-H alkenylation at electron-rich and sterically less hindered positions of electron-rich arenes while promoting the facile oxidation of Pd(0) intermediates by oxygen. This newly introduced ligand class is complementary to the ligands developed for Pd-catalyzed oxidative reactions and may find broad application in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions.