Scandium(III) triflate-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts alkylation reactions

The Sc(OTf)(3)-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction with an alcohol, an arenecarbaldehyde or an arenecarbaldehyde acetal as the alkylating agent affords a diarylmethane or an allylbenzene derivative highly selectively. The salient feature of this reaction is that only a catalytic amount of Sc(OTf)(3) can effect the reaction. Furthermore, Sc(OTf)(3) is recoverable and reusable after the synthetic reaction. The Sc(OTf)(3)-catalyzed benzylation using an arenecarbaldehyde and 1,3-propanediol or their acetal affords diarylmethane as a sole product in excellent yields in sharp contrast to the original Friedel-Crafts reaction. Since no reaction occurs in the absence of 1,3-propanediol, the reaction is considered to proceed through a redox process including a hydride shift. The hydride shift mechanism is strongly supported by the experimental evidence. The reaction of benzaldehyde with benzene in the presence of 1,3-propanediol-1,1,3,3,-d(4) gives rise to the deuterium incorporation into the benzylic carbon of diphenylmethane. Worthy of note is that 1,3-propanediol acts as the hydride source. Herein, diphenylmethyl 3-hydroxypropyl ether is assumed to be the most likely intermediate. In this reaction, Sc(OTf)(3) catalyst effectively promotes initial acetal formation, electrophilic aromatic substitution, and successive intramolecular hydride transfer.