Transition Metal-Catalyzed Intermolecular Cascade C-H Activation/Annulation Processes for the Synthesis of Polycycles

Polycycles are abundantly present in numerous advanced chemicals, functional materials, bioactive molecules and natural products. However, the strategies for the synthesis of polycycles are limited to classical reactions and transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, requiring pre-functionalized starting materials and lengthy synthetic operations. The emergence of novel approaches shows great promise for the fields of organic/medicinal/materials chemistry. Among them, transition metal-catalyzed C-H activation followed by intermolecular annulation reactions prevail, due to their straightforward manner with high atom- and step-economy, providing rapid, concise and efficient methods for the construction of diverse polycycles. Several strategies have been developed for the synthesis of polycycles, relying on sequential multiple C-H activation/annulation, or combination of C-H activation/annulation and further interaction with a proximal group, or merger of C-H activation with a cycloaddition reaction, or in situ formation of the directing group. These are attractive, efficient, step- and atom-economic methods starting from commercially available materials. This Minireview will provide an introduction to transition metal-catalyzed C-H activation for the synthesis of polycycles, helping researchers to discover indirect connections and reveal hidden opportunities. It will also promote the discovery of novel synthetic strategies relying on C-H activation.