Strategies Toward Accessing Enantioenriched (Hetero)Benzo-Fused 5- and 6- Membered Rings via Intermolecular...

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Catalysis
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Enantioenriched benzofused 5- and 6-membered rings are vital structural motifs in pharmaceuticals and natural products.
• Metal-catalyzed intermolecular carbometalation is a key strategy for synthesizing these complex structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in accessing enantioenriched benzofused rings using intermolecular carbometalation.
• To provide a unified understanding of asymmetric control mechanisms across different transition metals and ligands.

Main Methods:

• Focuses on metal-catalyzed intermolecular carbometalation reactions.
• Reviews mechanistic investigations and computational conformational analyses.
• Covers advances catalyzed by both early and late transition metals.

Main Results:

• Highlights significant progress in asymmetric synthesis of benzofused rings over the past decade.
• Demonstrates the versatility of transition metal catalysis in achieving high enantioselectivity.
• Provides insights into the factors governing asymmetric induction in carbometalation reactions.

Conclusions:

• Intermolecular carbometalation offers a powerful route to enantioenriched benzofused ring systems.
• Understanding mechanistic pathways is crucial for optimizing asymmetric control.
• Continued development in catalysis promises broader access to valuable molecular architectures.