Organic reactions that involve the direct functionalization of non-activated C–H bonds represent an attractive class of transformations which maximize atom- and step-economy, and simplify chemical synthesis. Due to the high stability of C–H bonds, these processes, however, have most often required harsh reaction conditions, which has drastically limited their use as tools for the synthesis of complex organic molecules. Following the increased understanding of mechanistic aspects of C–H activation gained over recent years, great strides have been taken to design and develop new protocols that proceed efficiently under mild conditions and duly benefit from improved functional group tolerance and selectivity. In this review, we present the current state of the art in this field and detail C–H activation transformations reported since 2011 that proceed either at or below ambient temperature, in the absence of strongly acidic or basic additives or without strong oxidants. Furthermore, by identifying and discussing the major strategies that have led to these improvements, we hope that this review will serve as a useful conceptual overview and inspire the next generation of mild C–H transformations.

/pdf/mild-metal-catalyzed-c-h-activation-examples-and-concepts-2fhc0zulxg.pdf

Mild metal-catalyzed C–H activation: examples and concepts

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

The preparation, structure, and chemistry of hypervalent iodine compounds are reviewed with emphasis on their synthetic application. Compounds of iodine possess reactivity similar to that of transition metals, but have the advantage of environmental sustainability and efficient utilization of natural resources. These compounds are widely used in organic synthesis as selective oxidants and environmentally friendly reagents. Synthetic uses of hypervalent iodine reagents in halogenation reactions, various oxidations, rearrangements, aminations, C–C bond-forming reactions, and transition metal-catalyzed reactions are summarized and discussed. Recent discovery of hypervalent catalytic systems and recyclable reagents, and the development of new enantioselective reactions using chiral hypervalent iodine compounds represent a particularly important achievement in the field of hypervalent iodine chemistry. One of the goals of this Review is to attract the attention of the scientific community as to the benefits of...

Advances in Synthetic Applications of Hypervalent Iodine Compounds

The present review is devoted to summarizing the recent advances (2015-2017) in the field of metal-catalysed group-directed C-H functionalisation In order to clearly showcase the molecular diversity that can now be accessed by means of directed C-H functionalisation, the whole is organized following the directing groups installed on a substrate Its aim is to be a comprehensive reference work, where a specific directing group can be easily found, together with the transformations which have been carried out with it Hence, the primary format of this review is schemes accompanied with a concise explanatory text, in which the directing groups are ordered in sections according to their chemical structure The schemes feature typical substrates used, the products obtained as well as the required reaction conditions Importantly, each example is commented on with respect to the most important positive features and drawbacks, on aspects such as selectivity, substrate scope, reaction conditions, directing group removal, and greenness The targeted readership are both experts in the field of C-H functionalisation chemistry (to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made in the last years) and, even more so, all organic chemists who want to introduce the C-H functionalisation way of thinking for a design of straightforward, efficient and step-economic synthetic routes towards molecules of interest to them Accordingly, this review should be of particular interest also for scientists from industrial R&D sector Hence, the overall goal of this review is to promote the application of C-H functionalisation reactions outside the research groups dedicated to method development and establishing it as a valuable reaction archetype in contemporary R&D, comparable to the role cross-coupling reactions play to date

/pdf/a-comprehensive-overview-of-directing-groups-applied-in-543u6d0g60.pdf

A comprehensive overview of directing groups applied in metal-catalysed C-H functionalisation chemistry.

Transition metal-mediated C–H bond activation and functionalization represent one of the most straightforward and powerful tools in modern organic synthetic chemistry. Bi(hetero)aryls are privileged π-conjugated structural cores in biologically active molecules, organic functional materials, ligands, and organic synthetic intermediates. The oxidative C–H/C–H coupling reactions between two (hetero)arenes through 2-fold C–H activation offer a valuable opportunity for rapid assembly of diverse bi(hetero)aryls and further exploitation of their applications in pharmaceutical and material sciences. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and applications of transition metal-mediated/catalyzed oxidative C–H/C–H coupling reactions between two (hetero)arenes. The substrate scope, limitation, reaction mechanism, regioselectivity, and chemoselectivity, as well as related control strategies of these reactions are discussed. Additionally, the applications of these established methods in the s...

Oxidative C-H/C-H Coupling Reactions between Two (Hetero)arenes.

The use of directing groups has proven to be a successful strategy to enhance reactivity and control selectivity in C–H functionalization reactions. In the past decade, a multitude of new transformations and new directing groups have been explored, and several recent reviews have discussed directing group approaches for C–H functionalization. This review focuses specifically on the use of monodentate nitrogen-based directing groups published during the past two years, with the aim of covering a body of literature that is complementary to existing reviews.

Recent advances in directed C–H functionalizations using monodentate nitrogen-based directing groups

A rhodium(III)-catalyzed carboxylic acid directed decarboxylative CH/CH cross-coupling of carboxylic acids with thiophenes has been developed. With a slight adjustment of the reaction conditions based on the nature of the substrates, aryl carboxylic acids with a variety of substituents could serve as suitable coupling partners, and a broad variety of functional groups were tolerated. This method provides straightforward access to biaryl scaffolds with diverse substitution patterns, many of which have conventionally been synthesized through lengthy synthetic sequences. An illustrative example is the one-step gram-scale synthesis of a biologically active 3,5-substituted 2-arylthiophene by way of the current method.

Carboxylic Acids as Traceless Directing Groups for the Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative CH Arylation of Thiophenes

Ambient-Temperature Ortho C–H Arylation of Benzoic Acids with Aryl Iodides with Ligand-Supported Palladium Catalyst

Co(III)-Catalyzed Annulative Vinylene Transfer via C–H Activation: Three-Step Total Synthesis of 8-Oxopseudopalmatine and Oxopalmatine

An efficient Rh/Cu-catalyzed method has been developed for the direct β-arylation or alkenylation of ketones using (hetero)aryl or alkenyl carboxylic acids as coupling partners. This direct ketone β-functionalization reaction proceeded via the merging of Cu-catalyzed ketone dehydrogenative desaturation and Rh-catalyzed carboxyl-directed C–H alkylation, exhibiting a broad substrate scope for both coupling partners. TEMPO proved to be essential for both dehydrogenation process and generation of the active Rh catalyst for C–H activation.

Yuanfei Zhang

Papers

Recent advances in directed C–H functionalizations using monodentate nitrogen-based directing groups

Carboxylic Acids as Traceless Directing Groups for the Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative CH Arylation of Thiophenes

Ambient-Temperature Ortho C–H Arylation of Benzoic Acids with Aryl Iodides with Ligand-Supported Palladium Catalyst

Co(III)-Catalyzed Annulative Vinylene Transfer via C–H Activation: Three-Step Total Synthesis of 8-Oxopseudopalmatine and Oxopalmatine

Rh/Cu-Catalyzed Ketone β-Functionalization by Merging Ketone Dehydrogenation and Carboxyl-Directed C–H Alkylation