Computational Insights into Intramolecular Cross-Coupling of Quaternary Borate Salts

Cross-coupling reactions for C-C bond formation represent a cornerstone of organic synthesis. In most cases, they make use of transition metals, which has several downsides. Recently, metal-free alternatives relying on electrochemistry have gained interest. One example of such a reaction is the oxidation of tetraorganoborate salts that initiates aryl-aryl and aryl-alkenyl couplings with promising selectivities. This work investigates the mechanism of this reaction computationally using density functional and coupled-cluster theory. Our calculations reveal a distinct difference between aryl-alkenyl and aryl-aryl couplings: While C-C bond formation occurs irreversibly and without an energy barrier if an alkenyl residue is involved, many intermediates can be identified in aryl-aryl couplings. In the latter case, intramolecular transitions between reaction paths leading to different products are possible. Based on the energy differences between these intermediates, we develop a kinetic model to estimate product distributions for aryl-aryl couplings.