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Updated: Mar 12, 2026

A Two-Step Protocol for Umpolung Functionalization of Ketones Via Enolonium Species
Published on: August 16, 2018
Metal-catalyzed reductive coupling of olefin-derived nucleophiles: Reinventing carbonyl addition
Khoa D Nguyen1, Boyoung Y Park1, Tom Luong1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Abstract:
α-Olefins are the most abundant petrochemical feedstock beyond alkanes, yet their use in commodity chemical manufacture is largely focused on polymerization and hydroformylation. The development of byproduct-free catalytic C-C bond-forming reactions that convert olefins to value-added products remains an important objective. Here, we review catalytic intermolecular reductive couplings of unactivated and activated olefin-derived nucleophiles with carbonyl partners. These processes represent an alternative to the longstanding use of stoichiometric organometallic reagents in carbonyl addition.
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