Cyclopentadiene-mediated hydride transfer from rhodium complexes

Abstract

Attempts to generate a proposed rhodium hydride catalytic intermediate instead resulted in isolation of (Cp∗H)Rh(bpy)Cl (1), a pentamethylcyclopentadiene complex, formed by C-H bond-forming reductive elimination from the fleeting rhodium hydride. The hydride transfer ability of diene 1 was explored through thermochemistry and hydride transfer reactions, including the reduction of NAD+.