Chelating 1,2-Bis(2′-picolyl)-o-carborane as a Supporting Ligand for Pd-Catalyzed Selective B(3,6)–H Difunctionalization of o-Carboranes

Transition metal catalyzed selective cage B–H functionalization of carboranes has made significant progress in recent years, giving rise to the efficient synthesis of a large variety of cage B-functionalized carboranes including alkenylation, arylation, alkynylation, borylation, hydroxylation, acyloxylation, amination, and halogenation. However, the mechanisms of these catalytic B–X coupling reactions are not well understood. Herein, we describe the isolation and characterization of the catalytically relevant o-carborane based palladium(II) metallacycle, disclosing the details of Pd-catalyzed B–H functionalization of o-carboranes. As a result, highly selective catalytic B(3,6)-dihalogenation, -dimethylation, and -diarylation of o-carboranes have been achieved.