Facile Aerobic Alkylation of Rhodium Porphyrins with Alkyl Halides

Alkylation of rhodium porphyrins was achieved in moderate to high yields in the presence of air and water. With this facile alkylation method, various alkyl Rh-III(por) species, including those with tertiary alkyl, were synthesized. Mechanistic investigations suggest a parallel S(N)2 via [Rh-I(ttp)](-) with halogen atom transfer pathway via [Rh-II(ttp)](center dot).