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The design of a rigidified macrocyclic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand led to the formation and structural characterization of in- and out-Ru carbene complexes. In this study, introduction of a conformational lock was used to rigidify heteroaryl-aryl bonds and thereby enforce a more perpendicular dihedral angle. A forcing metalation step was needed to form the isomeric Ru carbene complexes (Grubbs complexes). The major isomer had the Ru carbene fragment located outside the macrocyclic ring whereas the minor isomer had the Ru carbene inside the macrocyclic ring. The two new Ru carbene complexes are the first examples of in- and out-isomers of a Grubbs-type complex. The solid state structures of each isomeric ruthenium carbene complex was determined by x-ray diffraction studies. The two Ru complexes showed significantly different catalytic reactivity in the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) of the benchmark substrate, diethyl diallylmalonate. We performed computational studies to determine rotational barriers; scalable energetic barriers were found in the unmetallated NHC ligand, favoring the in-isomer by 2.4 kcal/mol. These calculations, coupled with attempted interconversion of isomers, support a mechanism featuring rotational isomerization of the NHC nucleophile in a preequilibrium step before metalation. 

Abstract We report a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of through‐space arene activation with halogens, tetrazoles and achiral esters and amides. Contrary to previously assumed direct activation through σ‐complex stabilization, our results suggest that these reactions proceed by arelaymechanism wherein the lone pair‐containing activators form exothermic π‐complexes with electrophilic nitronium ion before transferring it to the probe ring through low barrier transition states. Noncovalent interactions (NCI) plots and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) analyses depict favorable interactions between the Lewis base (LB) and the nitronium ion in the precomplexes and the transition states, suggesting directing group participation throughout the mechanism. The regioselectivity of substitution also comports with a relay mechanism. In all, these data pave the way for an alternate platform of electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) reactions.