Metal-Catalyzed C-H Bond Activation of 5-Membered Carbocyclic Rings: A Powerful Access to Azulene, Acenaphthylene and Fulvene Derivatives.
Xinzhe ShiArpan SasmalJean-François SouléHenri DoucetPublished in: Chemistry, an Asian journal (2017)
Azulene, acenaphthylene and fulvene derivatives exhibit important physical properties useful in materials chemistry as well as valuable biological properties. Since about two decades ago, the metal-catalyzed functionalization of such compounds, via C-H bond activation of their 5-membered carbocyclic ring, proved to be a very convenient method for the synthesis of a wide variety of azulene, acenaphthylene and fulvene derivatives. For such reactions, there is no need to prefunctionalize the 5-membered carbocyclic rings. In this review, the progress in the synthesis of azulene, acenaphthylene and fulvene derivatives via metal-catalyzed C-H bond activation of their 5-membered carbocyclic ring are summarized.