Olefination reactions of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles

A range of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles have been employed for alkene synthesis with high chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity. The Wittig, Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons, Horner-Wittig, and Evans-Akiba reactions utilize phosphonium-, phosphonate-, phosphine oxide-, and pentacoordinated phosphorane-stabilized carbanions as nucleophiles, respectively, to undergo olefination with aldehydes or ketones, and each of these transformations has its own advantages and limitations. Modifying the structures of these nucleophiles along with optimizing reaction conditions results in the formation of a wide variety of polysubstituted alkenes in a highly stereoselective manner. The olefination of imines with phosphonium ylides has recently emerged as a useful approach to tune the stereoselectivity for alkene synthesis. This review focuses on recent advances in the stereoselective olefination of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles.