Diazines and Triazines as Building Blocks in Ligands for Metal-Mediated Catalytic Transformations

Pyridine is a ubiquitous building block for the design of very diverse ligand platforms, many of which have become indispensable for catalytic transformations. Nevertheless, the isosteric pyrazine, pyrimidine, and triazine congeners have enjoyed thus far a less privileged role in ligand design. In this review, several applications of such fragments in the design of new catalysts are presented. In a significant number of cases described, diazine- and triazine-based ligands either outperform their pyridine congeners or offer alternative catalytic pathways which enable new reactivities. The potential opportunities unlocked by using these building blocks in ligand design are discussed, and the origin of the enhanced catalytic activity is highlighted where mechanistic studies are available.