Catalytic Dehydrogenative Cross-Coupling: Forming Carbon-Carbon Bonds by Oxidizing Two Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds

Transformations that can be categorized as catalytic dehydrogenative cross-couplings are reviewed providing handy reference for chemists interested in using catalytic dehydrogenative coupling in multistep synthesis and those interested in inventing greener methods for C-C bond construction. In 2002, the groups of de Vries and van Leeuwen reported an exceptionally mild oxidative Heck-type olefination that uses amide directing groups to control reactivity and regioselectivity. The Yu lab reported Pd-catalyzed olefination of electron-deficient arenes that occurs with meta-selectivity and envisioned a novel ligand Pyr with steric encumbrance at the exterior of the ligand. the groups of Hu and You demonstrated that other classes of nitrogen-containing heterocycles undergo facile and regioselective arylation with stoichiometric amounts of Cu(OAc)2.