Diverse exploitation of Brønsted acid catalysts – paving the way for simple access to enantioenriched amines
Brønsted acid catalysis provided access to enantioenriched primary and secondary amines, paving the way to advancements in the area.
Chemoselective acyl C–O bond activation in esters for Suzuki–Miyaura coupling
The use of palladium–NHC (bulky) catalyst enables selective acylative coupling in esters via blocking the potential C(aryl)–O oxidative addition and decarbonylation processes. Mechanistic studies elucidate the role of bulky carbene catalysts in promoting C(acyl)–O activation, and as a result, the acyl metal intermediates undergo coupling without the loss of carbonyl group.
Catalytic C–H amination at its limits: challenges and solutions
Pushing C–H amination to its limits fosters innovative synthetic solutions and offers a deeper understanding of the reaction mechanism and scope.
Metal-mediated C–O bond forming reactions in natural product synthesis
Metal catalyzed reactions for the formation of C(sp2)–O bonds have had a dramatic impact in natural product synthesis. They have enabled the emergence of new bond disconnections, which notably resulted in remarkably efficient and short synthetic pathways. The use of these reactions for the formation of C–O bonds in natural product synthesis is overviewed in this critical review.
Metal-catalyzed enyne cycloisomerization in natural product total synthesis
Enyne cycloisomerization has become a powerful and attractive strategy for the construction of cyclic compounds, thus possessing great potential for applications in total synthesis of natural products and pharmaceuticals.
Catalytic and catalyst-free diboration of alkynes
The present review provides a comprehensive summary of the catalytic and catalyst-free diboration of alkynes.
Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of hetero-substituted oxindoles
The construction of chiral disubstituted oxindoles is an intriguing challenge for organic chemists.
Lu's [3 + 2] cycloaddition of allenes with electrophiles: discovery, development and synthetic application
The discovery of Lu's [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is briefly introduced, and the recent important developments and synthetic applications of Lu's [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction are highlighted and overviewed.
Stereoselective strategies for the construction of polysubstituted piperidinic compounds and their applications in natural products’ synthesis
An abridged and far-reaching review communication on the construction of the polysubstituted piperidinic core using diverse methodologies for the benefit of organic chemists interested in the total synthesis of biologically active compounds.
Recent advances in positional-selective alkenylations: removable guidance for twofold C–H activation
Recent advances in transition-metal catalyzed positional-selective alkenylations via twofold C–H activation directed by removable or traceless directing groups are reviewed.
Cyclopropenes: a new tool for the study of biological systems
Cyclopropenes have become an important mini-tag tool in chemical biology, participating in fast inverse electron demand Diels–Alder and photoclick reactions in biological settings.
Nanocalipers as novel molecular scaffolds for carbon nanotubes
Nanocalipers were synthesized by connecting directly the five aromatic moieties including two receptors, two corners and a core, and found to discriminate the diameter, metallicity and handedness of carbon nanotubes through selective complexation.
Methodology and applications of the hexadehydro-Diels–Alder (HDDA) reaction
Hexadehydro-Diels–Alder (HDDA) reactions between alkynes and 1,3-diynes readily generate highly reactive and synthetically useful arynes.
About this collection
Critical reviews and highlight articles published in Organic Chemistry Frontiers during 2017 are collated as below for the benefit of readers.