Cobalt-Catalyzed Highly Regioselective Three-Component Arylcarboxylation of Acrylate with Aryl Bromides and Carbon Dioxide

Cobalt-catalyzed regioselective three-component arylcarboxylation of acrylate with aryl bromides and carbon dioxide has been developed. The reaction is carried out by using cobalt chloride as a precatalyst and zinc powder as a reducing reagent under CO₂ (1 atm) at 40 °C. A range of aryl bromides are used for this reaction, leading to a series of valuable carboxylic acids with high regioselectivity and functional-group compatibility. Mechanistic experiments and DFT calculations indicate that this arylcarboxylation reaction involves the reaction of CO₂ with a cobalt enolate intermediate to form the C−C bond.