Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Rhodium-Catalyzed Direct C-H Benzoxylation Reaction

An efficient Rh(III)-catalyzed, chelation assisted C-H benzoxylation reaction has been developed, releasing H2O as the single byproduct. The reaction proceeded under mild conditions, with controllable mono- and dioxygenation selectivity, thus providing a good complement to previous C-H oxygenation reactions. DFT calculations support that a nucleophilic addition pathway is most likely involved in the current reaction system. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.