Transition Metal Promoted Cascade Heterocycle Synthesis through C-H Functionalization

Abstract

Sequential, domino and tandem reactions could be defined as a sequence of synthetic transformations that occur one after the other, in the same reaction flask. This Review highlights recent advances at the overlap of two worlds: transition-metal mediated C-H activation as a trigger of cascade reaction, for the heterocycles synthesis. To shed some light on this intricate "middle-earth", focus was put on the reaction mechanism rather than the type of metal or the chronological order of the reaction. The aim is to separate, and then highlight, the true domino reactions initiated by C-H activation, compared to other examples of C-H functionalization for heterocycle syntheses.

Keywords: C−H activation; cascade reaction; heterocycle synthesis; transition metal.