Iridium(III)‐Catalyzed Intermolecular C(sp 3 )−H Insertion Reaction of Quinoid Carbene: A Radical Mechanism

Described herein is an Ir III /porphyrin‐catalyzed intermolecular C(sp 3 )−H insertion reaction of a quinoid carbene (QC). The reaction was designed by harnessing the hydrogen‐atom transfer (HAT) reactivity of a metal‐QC species with aliphatic substrates followed by a radical rebound process to afford C−H arylation products. This methodology is efficient for the arylation of activated hydrocarbons such as 1,4‐cyclohexadienes (down to 40 min reaction time, up to 99 % yield, up to 1.0 g scale). It features unique regioselectivity, which is mainly governed by steric effects, as the insertion into primary C−H bonds is favored over secondary and/or tertiary C−H bonds in the substituted cyclohexene substrates. Mechanistic studies revealed a radical mechanism for the reaction.