Over the last decade, substantial research has led to the introduction of an impressive number of efficient procedures which allow the selective construction of CC bonds by directly connecting two different CH bonds under oxidative conditions. Common to these methodologies is the generation of the reactive intermediates in situ by activation of both CH bonds. This strategy was introduced by the group of Li as cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) and discloses waste-minimized synthetic alternatives to classic coupling procedures which rely on the use of prefunctionalized starting materials. This Review highlights the recent progress in the field of cross-dehydrogenative C sp 3C formations and provides a comprehensive overview on existing procedures and employed methodologies.

The Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of C sp 3H Bonds: A Versatile Strategy for CC Bond Formations

C–H activation has surfaced as an increasingly powerful tool for molecular sciences, with notable applications to material sciences, crop protection, drug discovery, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Despite major advances, the vast majority of these C–H functionalizations required precious 4d or 5d transition metal catalysts. Given the cost-effective and sustainable nature of earth-abundant first row transition metals, the development of less toxic, inexpensive 3d metal catalysts for C–H activation has gained considerable recent momentum as a significantly more environmentally-benign and economically-attractive alternative. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview on first row transition metal catalysts for C–H activation until summer 2018.

3d Transition Metals for C-H Activation.

Transition metal-catalyzed direct functionalization of C–H bonds is one of the key emerging strategies that is currently attracting tremendous attention with the aim to provide alternative environmentally friendly and efficient ways for the construction of C–C and C–hetero bonds. In particular, the strategy involving regioselective C–H activation assisted by various functional groups shows high potential, and significant achievements have been made in both the development of novel reactions and the mechanistic study. In this review, we attempt to give an overview of the development of utilizing the functionalities as directing groups. The discussion is directed towards the use of different functional groups as directing groups for the construction of C–C and C–hetero bonds via C–H activation using various transition metal catalysts. The synthetic applications and mechanistic features of these transformations will be discussed, and the review is organized on the basis of the type of directing groups and the type of bond being formed or the catalyst.

Transition metal-catalyzed C–H bond functionalizations by the use of diverse directing groups

Oxidative Coupling between Two Hydrocarbons: An Update of Recent C–H Functionalizations

The use of hydrogen as a fuel, when generated from water using semiconductor photocatalysts and driven by sunlight, is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Polymeric photocatalysts are based on Earth-abundant elements and have the advantage over their inorganic counterparts in that their electronic properties are easily tuneable through molecular engineering. Polymeric photocatalysts have developed rapidly over the past decade, resulting in the discovery of many active materials. However, our understanding of the key properties underlying their photoinitiated redox processes has not kept pace, and this impedes further progress to generate cost-competitive technologies. Here, we discuss state-of-the-art polymeric photocatalysts and our microscopic understanding of their activities. We conclude with a discussion of five outstanding challenges in this field: non-standardized reporting of activities, limited photochemical stability, insufficient knowledge of reaction mechanisms, balancing charge carrier lifetimes with catalysis timescales and the use of unsustainable sacrificial reagents. Solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting provides a clean pathway for production of hydrogen fuel. This Review examines both amorphous and crystalline polymeric materials for water splitting, exploring polymer design strategies, theoretical understanding and challenges for the field.

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Current understanding and challenges of solar-driven hydrogen generation using polymeric photocatalysts

Concise and selective: the title one-pot sequence allows formation of the enone functionality and subsequent cross-coupling. The process provides access to highly functionalized cyclic enolones and enaminones from readily accessible β-heteroatom-substituted cyclic ketones.

Palladium‐Catalyzed Dehydrogenation/Oxidative Cross‐Coupling Sequence of β‐Heteroatom‐Substituted Ketones

Chemistry of vegetable physiology and agriculture

Rh-catalyzed direct C–H/C–H cross-coupling reaction of various (hetero)arenes with quinones is developed. This protocol is effective for a broad range of both quinone and arene substrates and a wide range of directing groups for this reaction, affording structurally diverse aryl-substituted quinones with high synthetic utility. Moreover, the present synthetic route allowed for the rapid construction of the carbazole quinone moiety that was identified as a new inhibitor scaffold for GSKβ.

Rh(III)-catalyzed direct C-H/C-H cross-coupling of quinones with arenes assisted by a directing group: identification of carbazole quinones as GSKβ inhibitors.

Synthesis of heterocyclic-fused benzofurans via C-H functionalization of flavones and coumarins.

https://koasas.kaist.ac.kr/bitstream/10203/102265/1/000305474900022.pdf

Youngtaek Moon

Papers

Palladium‐Catalyzed Dehydrogenation/Oxidative Cross‐Coupling Sequence of β‐Heteroatom‐Substituted Ketones

Chemistry of vegetable physiology and agriculture

Rh(III)-catalyzed direct C-H/C-H cross-coupling of quinones with arenes assisted by a directing group: identification of carbazole quinones as GSKβ inhibitors.

Synthesis of heterocyclic-fused benzofurans via C-H functionalization of flavones and coumarins.

A facile route to isoflavone quinones via the direct cross-coupling of chromones and quinones