C-H Insertion Reactions of Donor/Donor Carbenes: Inception, Investigation, and Insights

Synlett. 2020;31(9):838-844. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1691738. Epub 2020 Mar 10.

Abstract

Insertion reactions of donor/donor carbenes have emerged from obscurity to become a versatile method for the synthesis of a variety of cyclic structures with excellent control of diastereo- and enantioselectivity. This Account describes the origin of this project as part of a natural product synthesis and the ensuing decade of reaction development that has resulted in new asymmetric methods as well as intriguing tangential observations.

Keywords: C–H insertion; asymmetric catalysis; carbenes; rhodium.