1.1 Introduction to Pd-catalyzed directed C–H functionalization
The development of methods for the direct conversion of carbon–hydrogen bonds into carbon-oxygen, carbon-halogen, carbon-nitrogen, carbon-sulfur, and carbon-carbon bonds remains a critical challenge in organic chemistry. Mild and selective transformations of this type will undoubtedly find widespread application across the chemical field, including in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, natural products, agrochemicals, polymers, and feedstock commodity chemicals. Traditional approaches for the formation of such functional groups rely on pre-functionalized starting materials for both reactivity and selectivity. However, the requirement for installing a functional group prior to the desired C–O, C–X, C–N, C–S, or C–C bond adds costly chemical steps to the overall construction of a molecule. As such, circumventing this issue will not only improve atom economy but also increase the overall efficiency of multi-step synthetic sequences.

Direct C–H bond functionalization reactions are limited by two fundamental challenges: (i) the inert nature of most carbon-hydrogen bonds and (ii) the requirement to control site selectivity in molecules that contain diverse C–H groups. A multitude of studies have addressed the first challenge by demonstrating that transition metals can react with C–H bonds to produce C–M bonds in a process known as “C–H activation”.1 The resulting C–M bonds are far more reactive than their C–H counterparts, and in many cases they can be converted to new functional groups under mild conditions.

The second major challenge is achieving selective functionalization of a single C–H bond within a complex molecule. While several different strategies have been employed to address this issue, the most common (and the subject of the current review) involves the use of substrates that contain coordinating ligands. These ligands (often termed “directing groups”) bind to the metal center and selectively deliver the catalyst to a proximal C–H bond. Many different transition metals, including Ru, Rh, Pt, and Pd, undergo stoichiometric ligand-directed C–H activation reactions (also known as cyclometalation).2,3 Furthermore, over the past 15 years, a variety of catalytic carbon-carbon bond-forming processes have been developed that involve cyclometalation as a key step.1b–d,4

The current review will focus specifically on ligand-directed C–H functionalization reactions catalyzed by palladium. Palladium complexes are particularly attractive catalysts for such transformations for several reasons. First, ligand-directed C–H functionalization at Pd centers can be used to install many different types of bonds, including carbon-oxygen, carbon-halogen, carbon-nitrogen, carbon-sulfur, and carbon-carbon linkages. Few other catalysts allow such diverse bond constructions,5,6,7 and this versatility is predominantly the result of two key features: (i) the compatibility of many PdII catalysts with oxidants and (ii) the ability to selectively functionalize cyclopalladated intermediates. Second, palladium participates in cyclometalation with a wide variety of directing groups, and, unlike many other transition metals, promotes C–H activation at both sp2 and sp3 C–H sites. Finally, the vast majority of Pd-catalyzed directed C–H functionalization reactions can be performed in the presence of ambient air and moisture, making them exceptionally practical for applications in organic synthesis.

While several accounts have described recent advances, this is the first comprehensive review encompassing the large body of work in this field over the past 5 years (2004–2009). Both synthetic applications and mechanistic aspects of these transformations are discussed where appropriate, and the review is organized on the basis of the type of bond being formed.

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Palladium-Catalyzed Ligand-Directed C−H Functionalization Reactions

Efficient synthetic methods required to assemble complex molecular arrays include reactions that are both selective (chemo-, regio-, diastereo-, and enantio-) and economical in atom count (maximum number of atoms of reactants appearing in the products). Methods that involve simply combining two or more building blocks with any other reactant needed only catalytically constitute the highest degree of atom economy. Transition metal-catalyzed methods that are both selective and economical for formation of cyclic structures, of great interest for biological purposes, represent an important starting point for this long-term goal. The limited availability of raw materials, combined with environmental concerns, require the highlighting of these goals.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/254/5037/1471.full.pdf

The atom economy--a search for synthetic efficiency

Hydrogen Storage in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Although fire is now rarely used in synthetic chemistry, it was not until Robert Bunsen invented the burner in 1855 that the energy from this heat source could be applied to a reaction vessel in a focused manner. The Bunsen burner was later superseded by the isomantle, oil bath, or hot plate as a source for applying heat to a chemical reaction. In the past few years, heating and driving chemical reactions by microwave energy has been an increasingly popular theme in the scientific community. This nonclassical heating technique is slowly moving from a laboratory curiosity to an established technique that is heavily used in both academia and industry. The efficiency of "microwave flash heating" in dramatically reducing reaction times (from days and hours to minutes and seconds) is just one of the many advantages. This Review highlights recent applications of controlled microwave heating in modern organic synthesis, and discusses some of the underlying phenomena and issues involved.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/anie.200400655

Controlled microwave heating in modern organic synthesis.

/pdf/metal-organic-frameworks-and-self-assembled-supramolecular-2xs948xxr9.pdf

Metal–Organic Frameworks and Self-Assembled Supramolecular Coordination Complexes: Comparing and Contrasting the Design, Synthesis, and Functionality of Metal–Organic Materials

Treatment of dibromomethyl phenyl sulfone with zinc powder in the presence of a catalytic amount of lead in THF afforded phenylsulfonyl-substituted dizinciomethane. The species converts a ketone or...

Preparation and Reaction of Phenylsulfonyl-Substituted Dizinciomethane.

Both trimethylsilyl-substituted alkynes and MAD are essential for the unusual transformation (decarbonylation/alkylidenation) with high selectivities.

Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarbonylative Alkylidenation of Phthalimides with Trimethylsilyl‐Substituted Alkynes.

A conjugated π-electron compound, 2-aryl-3-silyl-1,3-butadiene, was easily prepared from 1-benzyloxy-3-silyl-2-propyne, bis(iodozincio)methane, and an aryl halide in the presence of nickel catalyst. A subsequent cross-coupling reaction of the product with another aryl halide gave an unsymmetrical 2,3-diaryl-1,3-butadiene efficiently.

Preparation and Reaction of 2‐Aryl‐3‐silyl‐1,3‐butadiene.

Organophosphonium salt was converted into deuterium labelled ones under hydrothermal condition in the presence of molecular sieves. The hydrothermal condition can be obtained by either heating D 2 O in an autoclave or irradiating with microwave to D 2 O in a sealed vial.

Preparation of Deuterium Labelled Organophosphonium Salts (Wittig Salts) under Hydrothermal Condition Catalyzed by Molecular Sieves.

Various electron-deficient dienes react with unactivated imine substrates to produce the desired piperidine scaffold, mostly at room temperature and within a short time.

Seijiro Matsubara

Papers

Preparation and Reaction of Phenylsulfonyl-Substituted Dizinciomethane.

Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarbonylative Alkylidenation of Phthalimides with Trimethylsilyl‐Substituted Alkynes.

Preparation and Reaction of 2‐Aryl‐3‐silyl‐1,3‐butadiene.

Preparation of Deuterium Labelled Organophosphonium Salts (Wittig Salts) under Hydrothermal Condition Catalyzed by Molecular Sieves.

Cobalt(III) Porphyrin Catalyzed Aza-Diels—Alder Reaction.