Recent developments in catalytic cross-couplings with unsaturated carboxylates

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Catalysis
• Sustainable Synthesis

Background:

• Catalytic cross-coupling reactions are vital for synthesizing complex organic molecules.
• Traditional cross-couplings often utilize unsaturated halides as electrophiles.
• C-O bond activation offers a more sustainable alternative, utilizing readily available substrates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in transition metal-catalyzed C-O bond activation of unsaturated carboxylates.
• To highlight the use of various organometallic reagents (B, Mg, Zn, Al, Si) in these cross-coupling reactions.
• To summarize key developments in this field up to May 2021.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature focusing on transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.
• Analysis of studies involving C-O bond cleavage of unsaturated carboxylates.
• Compilation of examples using organometallic reagents with boron, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, and silicon.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in developing transition metal catalysts for C-O bond activation.
• Phenol and enol derivatives have been successfully employed as coupling electrophiles.
• Diverse organometallic reagents effectively participate in these cross-coupling reactions.

Conclusions:

• Transition metal-catalyzed C-O bond activation represents a powerful and sustainable synthetic strategy.
• The scope of cross-coupling reactions has been expanded beyond unsaturated halides.
• Continued research in this area promises further advancements in green chemistry.