Using the Type II Cycloisomerization Reaction of 1,6‐Enynes as a Mechanistic Probe to Identify the Real Catalytic Species of GaX3 and InX3

Abstract

AbstractPreviously, we found that InCl2+ is the real catalytic species in InCl3‐catalyzed type II cycloisomerization of 1,6‐enynes for generating nonconjugated dienes. We further used this cycloisomerization reaction as a mechanistic probe to study whether GaCl3, GaBr3, InBr3, InI3 also have GaCl2+, GaBr2+, InBr2+, and InI2+ as the real catalytic species. Experimental and computational results from the mechanistic probe reaction here support that the real catalytic species are positively charged GaCl2+, GaBr2+, InBr2+, and InI2+.