An Intermolecular Hydroarylation of Unactivated Arylcyclopropane via Re2O7/HFIP-Mediated Ring Opening

In this paper, we describe a Re₂O₇-mediated ring-opening arylation of unactivated arylcyclopropane because of its functionalization with various arenes via Friedel-Crafts-type reactivity. This protocol allows facile access to functionalized 1,1-diaryl alkanes and is characterized by a broad substrate scope, mild reaction conditions, high efficiency, and high atom economy. Both density functional theory calculations and deuterium labeling experiments were carried out to justify the indispensable role of HFIP in this transformation and pointed to Re₂O₇-mediated ring opening being the rate-determining step.