Catalytic, Undirected Borylation of Tertiary C–H Bonds in Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes and Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes

Catalytic borylations of sp3 C–H bonds occur with high selectivities for primary C–H bonds or secondary C–H bonds that are activated by nearby electron-withdrawing substituents. The catalytic borylation at tertiary C–H bonds has not been observed. We describe a broadly applicable method for the synthesis of boron-substituted bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes (BCPs) and (hetero)bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes (BCHs) by an iridium-catalyzed borylation of the bridgehead tertiary C–H bond. This reaction is highly selective for the formation of bridgehead boronic esters and is compatible with a broad range of functional groups (>35 examples). The method is applicable to the late-stage modification of pharmaceuticals containing this substructure and the synthesis of novel bicyclic building blocks. Kinetic and computational studies suggest that C–H bond cleavage occurs with a modest barrier and that the turnover-limiting step of this reaction is an isomerization that occurs prior to reductive elimination that forms the C–B bond.