The chemistry of the carbon-transition metal double and triple bond: Annual survey covering the year 2018

• Published in: Coordination chemistry reviews 2019-12, Vol.401, p.213051, Article 213051
• Main Author: Herndon, James W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0010-8545; 1873-3840
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2019.213051

•Use of safer (alkyne, triazole, hydrazone) carbene complex intermediate precursors.•Olefin metathesis in small molecule and polymer synthesis, and Z-selective reactions.•Bioinspired catalysts for carbene transfer reactions.•Preparation of novel aromatic ring systems incorporating transition elements.•Complex transformations using gold and platinum carbene-mediated reactions of alkynes. This is a review of papers published in the year 2018 that focus on the synthesis, reactivity, or properties of compounds containing a carbon-transition metal double or triple bond. Highlights for the year 2018 include: (1) significant advances in the design of new precursors to carbene complex intermediates (e.g. alkynes, triazoles, and tosylhydrazones) that serve as safer alternatives to potentially hazardous diazo compounds, (2) continued vast employment of olefin metathesis for the synthesis of complex small molecules and polymers, including many examples of Z-selective and stereoretentive metathesis reactions, (3) development of biologically-inspired catalysts for carbene transfer reactions, (4) preparation of novel aromatic ring systems incorporating transition elements, (5) use of gold and platinum carbene-mediated transformations of alkynes in complex synthetic organic transformations, and (6) design of novel reaction pathways for capture of transition metal carbenoid intermediates.