Enhanced Reactivity of Vinyl Cations Using Extremely Weakly Coordinating Anions – VinylWEAK

Organic chemists are always faced with new challenges, especially those concerning the reactivity of presumably uncontrollable intermediates, such as vinyl cations. The lack of understanding of the influence of the counterion on their stability and reactivity has been the main reason for the timid development of the applications of such species. The objective of the VinylWEAK project is analyze such interactions in order to extend the use of vinyl cations in homogeneous catalysis. We wish to generalize their access from a wider range of substrates through the use of metal salts bearing extremely weakly coordinating anions. We will study their reactivity on reference transformations and then exploit them in new reactions relying on to their unique properties. In particular, their carbene type behavior, which could induce the insertion of C-H bonds, as well as their use in asymmetric synthesis will be explored.