Dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions with Oxidized Guanidino-Functionalized Aromatic Compounds: Novel Options for σ-Bond Activation.

We present a new option for metal-free σ-bond activation, making use of oxidized, guanidino-functionalized aromatic compounds (GFAs). We demonstrate this new option by the homocoupling reactions of thiols and phosphines. The kinetics and the reaction pathway were studied by a number of experiments (including heterocoupling of thiols and phosphines), supported by quantum-chemical computations. Reaction of the oxidized GFA with p-dihydrobenzoquinone to give p-benzoquinone shows that typical proton-coupled electron-transfer reactions are also possible.