11/2015

Dinuclear transition metal paddlewheel complexes are a privileged scaffold in C–H Functionalization, highly capable catalysts in carbenoid and nitrenoid C–H insertion reaction. Catalyst design as driven many of the major advances in this field, resulting in over 1500 different dirhodium complexes reported.

On the other hand the heterometallic homoleptic Bi-Rh complexes, first reported in 2005 and shown to be similarly effective for mediating C–H functionalization chemistry in 2009 are severely limited. Challenges with the synthesis of these complexes means that only five different complexes have been reported.

This report from the Berry group discloses the application of a solution phase route to these complexes that is significantly more versatile, providing an effective entry into these systems that will expand the scope of these catalysts considerably.