Intermolecular C-H bond activation of benzene and pyridines by a vanadium(III) alkylidene including a stepwise conversion of benzene to a vanadium-benzyne complex

Abstract

Breaking of the carbon-hydrogen bond of benzene and pyridine is observed with (PNP)V(CH(2)tBu)(2) (1), and in the case of benzene, the formation of an intermediate benzyne complex (C) is proposed, and indirect proof of its intermediacy is provided by identification of (PNP)V=O(eta(2)-C(6)H(4)) in combination with DFT calculations.