Alkyl-Aryl Coupling Catalyzed by Tandem Systems of Pincer-Ligated Iridium Complexes and Zeolites

We report that pincer-ligated iridium catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation can operate in tandem with zeolite catalysts for arene-alkene coupling, to effect the overall intramolecular dehydrocoupling of alkyl-H and aryl-H bonds (i.e., the dehydrocyclization of alkyl benzene). Thus, zeolite and soluble iridium cocatalysts in refluxing pentylbenzene (205 °C) gave high yields of 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene. Subsequent dehydrogenation and isomerization affords 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene and 2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene. Total yields of cyclized product as high as 5.4 M (94%) have been obtained, corresponding to 6800 turnovers per mol Ir. Turnover numbers for the tandem-catalyzed dehydrocyclization are much greater than those obtained for simple dehydrogenation by Ir catalysts (to give olefins) in the absence of zeolite.