Transition metal-catalysis in interrupted borrowing hydrogen strategy

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Sustainable Chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Borrowing hydrogen (BH) and interrupted borrowing hydrogen (IBH) are atom- and step-economic catalytic strategies.
• These methods enable diverse C-C and C-heteroatom bond formations using feedstock chemicals.
• Key advantages include high atom economy, no substrate pre-activation, and water as the sole byproduct.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of the interrupted borrowing hydrogen (IBH) reaction.
• To highlight recent advances and applications of IBH in sustainable chemical synthesis.
• To focus on IBH-mediated C-C bond formation, particularly using methanol as a C1 source.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on transition metal-catalyzed interrupted borrowing hydrogen reactions.
• Analysis of IBH applications in synthesizing specific chemical structures.
• Discussion of the mechanistic principles underlying IBH strategies.

Main Results:

• IBH reactions offer efficient pathways for synthesizing 3,3'-bisindolylmethanes (3,3'-BIMs).
• IBH enables the synthesis of alpha-branched ketones and diketones.
• Regioselective alkylation of N-heterocycles is achieved via IBH strategies.

Conclusions:

• The interrupted borrowing hydrogen (IBH) strategy is a powerful tool for sustainable chemical synthesis.
• IBH facilitates the efficient construction of complex molecules and valuable building blocks.
• Further exploration of IBH reactions promises advancements in green chemistry.