Abstract
Molecular aggregation affects the electronic interactions between
molecules and has emerged as a powerful tool in material science.
Molecular aggregation finds wide applications in the research of new
physical effects; however, its value for chemical reaction development
has been far less explored. Herein, we report the development of
aggregation-enabled alkene insertion into carbon–halogen bonds. The
spontaneous cleavage of C–X (X = Cl, Br, or I) bonds generates an
intimate ion pair, which can be quickly captured by alkenes in the
aggregated state. Additional catalysts or promoters are not necessary
under such circumstances, and solvent quenching experiments indicate
that the aggregated state is critical for initiating such sequences. The
ionic insertion mode and the intimate ion pair mechanism are supported
by mechanistic studies, density functional theory calculations, and
symmetry-adapted perturbation theory analysis. Results show that the
non-aggregated state may quench the transition state and terminate the
insertion process.