Themed collection 2018 Organic Chemistry Frontiers Review-type Articles

Diverse alcohols, serving as substrates or co-catalysts, and Ce(IV) achieve photoinduced LMCT to generate highly active alkoxy radicals, which opens a new avenue for many difficult HAT reactions.

In this highlight, cooperative multi-catalyst systems, especially bismetallic- and organo-catalyst mediated asymmetric relay reactions, are presented.

Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl sulfones as crystalline and readily available alkyl electrophiles via a radical process are highlighted.

In this article, we review the recent developments in the transition-metal-catalyzed decarbonylation of carboxylic acids to produce olefins by the formal acyl C–O activation mechanism and discuss future challenges in this field.

Keteniminium intermediates generated in situ initiate the cascade [1,5]-hydride transfer/cyclization for the direct functionalization of benzylic and non-benzylic C(sp³)–H bonds.

The novelty and efficiency of the overall synthetic route are the key values being imparted to the younger generation of synthetic chemists. In this Highlights, synthesis of strictamine was tutored to students on the creativity of synthetic design.

New strategies based on transition-metal catalysis or organocatalysis have provided new perspectives into the total synthesis of cyclobutane-containing natural products.

This review highlights the development of heteropore covalent organic frameworks, a new class of porous organic polymers which exhibit well-ordered heterogeneous/hierarchical porosities.

The present review outlines the recent methodologies for selective arylation of natural nucleophilic residues within unprotected peptides and proteins promoted by arylpalladium complexes, which demonstrate the advantages and potential of organometallic palladium complexes in bioconjugation.

The present review deals with an updated visit to the olefin metathesis reaction as a powerful tool for the construction of sophisticated macromolecular architectures.

The concept of supramolecular gelatons for the design of gels was proposed and described.

Versatile π-aromatic building blocks and selective coupling transformations enable rapid assembly of complex electron-deficient molecules, useful as n-type organic semiconductors.

This review article highlights the emergence of eclectic molecular design principles to realize remarkably strong electron deficient arylenediimide molecules, aspects of their stability and associated applications.

The controllable synthetic ion channels with voltage-, ligand- light- and mechano-gating, as well as rectifying behaviours are discussed in regarding to their construction strategies and functions.

The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of α-chiral azides is of current interest and three synthetic strategies have been developed. This review summarizes the recent progress in this research area, discusses the advantages and limitations of each strategy, and outlines synthetic opportunities for future research.

In organic chemistry, olefin–olefin metathesis of two unsaturated substrates for the formation of a new carbon–carbon bond has been widely explored and applied.

In this review, we provide a summary of recent progress regarding synthetic studies towards natural products via [5 + 2] cycloaddition reactions.

This review focuses on selected applications of the intramolecular Mannich reaction as a key step in the total synthesis of natural products (2000–2017).

Pyrrolidines are privileged substructures of numerous bioactive natural products and drugs.

This review introduces the interplay of anion coordination and supramolecular self-assembly, presenting recent progress in anion-induced and anion-coordination-based self-assemblies.

This review is focused on the recent advances in the chemistry of sulfur dioxide fixation through a radical process. Diverse sulfonyl compounds can be obtained efficiently under mild conditions.

Among the many types of transition-metal-catalysed C–C bond forming reactions, olefin metathesis is without a doubt one of the most thriving fields in modern organic synthetic chemistry.

This review highlights the pyridinium salts in terms of their natural occurrence, synthesis, reactivity, biological properties, and diverse applications.

This review article describes the palladium-catalysed non-directed coupling of (hetero)arene C–H bonds with C_(Ar)–Z (Z = B, Si, Sn, S, N, C, H) bonds for facile bi(hetero)aryl synthesis in the past 10 years.

Total syntheses of pyrroloazocine indole alkaloids (lapidilectines, grandilodines, lundurines and tenuisines) are discussed in terms of existing retrosynthetic solutions and novel reaction discoveries.

The development of earth-abundant transition metal-catalysed highly enantioselective hydrofunctionalization of minimally functionalized alkenes was summarized.

This review highlights the recent applications of Ir-catalyzed reactions in the total synthesis of natural products.

An overview of the highlights in total synthesis of natural products using iridium as a catalyst is given.