One-Pot Construction of Heteroarylation/Esterification Products of Acrylic Acids via Iridium(III)-Catalyzed C–H Activation

A carboxylate-assisted iridium­(III)-catalyzed regioselective C­(sp2)–H heteroarylation/esterification reaction of acrylic acid is disclosed herein for the first time. This catalytic protocol tolerates various α-substituted, β-substituted, and α, β-disubstituted acrylic acids as well as heteroaromatic boronates well. The resulting 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran-6-carboxylic acid derivative 3r highlighted the AIE-active luminophore with multiple emission signal properties and a high quantum yield of 28%, exhibiting the potential application of this methodology for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing organic functional materials.