The Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of organic azides and alkynes has gained considerable attention in recent years due to the introduction in 2001 of Cu(1) catalysis by Tornoe and Meldal, leading to a major improvement in both rate and regioselectivity of the reaction, as realized independently by the Meldal and the Sharpless laboratories. The great success of the Cu(1) catalyzed reaction is rooted in the fact that it is a virtually quantitative, very robust, insensitive, general, and orthogonal ligation reaction, suitable for even biomolecular ligation and in vivo tagging or as a polymerization reaction for synthesis of long linear polymers. The triazole formed is essentially chemically inert to reactive conditions, e.g. oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis, and has an intermediate polarity with a dipolar moment of ∼5 D. The basis for the unique properties and rate enhancement for triazole formation under Cu(1) catalysis should be found in the high ∆G of the reaction in combination with the low character of polarity of the dipole of the noncatalyzed thermal reaction, which leads to a considerable activation barrier. In order to understand the reaction in detail, it therefore seems important to spend a moment to consider the structural and mechanistic aspects of the catalysis. The reaction is quite insensitive to reaction conditions as long as Cu(1) is present and may be performed in an aqueous or organic environment both in solution and on solid support.

Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition.

3.7. Palladium Nanoparticles as Catalysts 888 3.8. Other Transition-Metal Complexes 888 3.9. Transition-Metal-Free Reactions 889 4. Applications 889 4.1. Alkynylation of Arenes 889 4.2. Alkynylation of Heterocycles 891 4.3. Synthesis of Enynes and Enediynes 894 4.4. Synthesis of Ynones 896 4.5. Synthesis of Carbocyclic Systems 897 4.6. Synthesis of Heterocyclic Systems 898 4.7. Synthesis of Natural Products 903 4.8. Synthesis of Electronic and Electrooptical Molecules 906

https://www.chem.ccu.edu.tw/~joyce/referance/ericyang/Chem.%20Rev/Chem.%20Rev.%202007,%20107,%20874-922.pdf

The Sonogashira Reaction: A Booming Methodology in Synthetic Organic Chemistry†

In studying the evolution of organic chemistry and grasping its essence, one comes quickly to the conclusion that no other type of reaction plays as large a role in shaping this domain of science than carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. The Grignard, Diels-Alder, and Wittig reactions are but three prominent examples of such processes, and are among those which have undeniably exercised decisive roles in the last century in the emergence of chemical synthesis as we know it today. In the last quarter of the 20th century, a new family of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions based on transition-metal catalysts evolved as powerful tools in synthesis. Among them, the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are the most prominent. In this Review, highlights of a number of selected syntheses are discussed. The examples chosen demonstrate the enormous power of these processes in the art of total synthesis and underscore their future potential in chemical synthesis.

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in total synthesis.

A. Primary Alcohols as Nucleophiles 2931 B. Carboxylates as Nucleophiles 2931 C. Alkylations with Phenols 2932 IV. Nitrogen Nucleophiles in AAA Total Synthesis 2935 A. Alkylamines as Nucleophiles 2935 B. Azides as a Nucleophile 2936 C. Sulfonamide Nucleophiles 2937 D. Imide Nucleophiles 2938 E. Heterocyclic Amine Nucleophiles 2940 V. Sulfur Nucleophiles 2941 VI. Summary and Conclusions 2941 VII. Acknowledgment 2941 VIII. References 2942 I. Considerations for Enantioselective Allylic Alkylation

http://athena.uwindsor.ca/users/j/jlichaa/reference.nsf/54ef3e94e5fe816e85256d6e0063d208/10ff8b04ff3a317885256d88005720f6/$file/cr-2003-103-2921-trost-allylpd.pdf

Asymmetric transition-metal-catalyzed allylic alkylations: applications in total synthesis.

In 2010, Richard Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi, and Akira Suzuki joined the prestigious circle of Nobel Laureate chemists for their roles in discovering and developing highly practical methodologies for C-C bond construction. From their original contributions in the early 1970s the landscape of the strategies and methods of organic synthesis irreversibly changed for the modern chemist, both in academia and in industry. In this Review, we attempt to trace the historical origin of these powerful reactions, and outline the developments from the seminal discoveries leading to their eminent position as appreciated and applied today.

Nobuyoshi Yasuda

Papers

Lithium Alkoxides of Cinchona Alkaloids as Chiral Controllers for Enantioselective Acetylide Addition to Cyclic N-Acyl Ketimines

A new general method for preparation of N-methoxy-N-methylamides. Application in direct conversion of an ester to a ketone

Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions in the Synthesis of Pharmaceuticals

Contemporary Asymmetric Phase Transfer Catalysis: Large-Scale Industrial Applications

Designed Ligands as Probes for the Catalytic Binding Mode in Mo-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation