A substituent-induced post-assembly modification cascade of a metallosupramolecular imine-type Co-complex

Here, we report a reaction cascade employing the substituent-induced post-assembly modification of a Co( iii ) complex. Unexpectedly, we found that the (triisopropylsilyl)alkynyl moiety introduced to the Sonogashira reaction with the bromo-functionalized Co( iii ) assembly plays a "Trojan horse" role, triggering a subsequent, second step of the cascade, i.e. Co( iii ) to Co( ii ) reduction. The reported substituent-activated Sonogashira-redox cascade reaction might set a new direction in the construction of specific chemical sensors. We report a Sonogashira-redox cascade employing post-assembly modification of a Co( iii ) complex, followed by Co( iii ) to Co( ii ) redox process, in which the iPr 3 C&z.tbd;C substituent plays a "Trojan horse" role, triggering the second step of the cascade.