Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C–H Activation and Atroposelective Synthesis
This community develops catalytic methods to break and form carbon–hydrogen bonds, primarily to construct complex, three-dimensional molecules with specific handedness for pharmaceutical and materials applications.
The work centers on the use of palladium, rhodium, cobalt, and iridium catalysts to activate inert C–H bonds directly, bypassing traditional pre-functionalization steps. Key methodologies include cross-dehydrogenative coupling, catalytic annulation, and the formation of sulfoxonium ylides. A dominant focus is the enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral compounds (atropisomers) and the functionalization of non-activated C(sp3)–H bonds. Researchers employ directing groups to control regioselectivity and utilize one-pot strategies to streamline the construction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles and other complex ring systems.
The largest share of the community's output is found in rhodium research, accounting for 11.0% of all rhodium research, and 3,369 papers here. It also represents 7.2% of all palladium research, with 6,374 papers in this group.
The community comprises 25,577 papers, publishing most frequently in Organic Letters, The Journal of Organic Chemistry, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Recent work continues to focus on earth-abundant cobalt-catalyzed enantioselective reactions, the synthesis of planar-chiral cyclophanes, and the integration of electrochemical and photoredox methods for C–H functionalization.