Advances in the Catalysis of Organic Processes by Metal Phenolates

Abstract

Transition-metal catalysts with phenolate ligands comprise a great variety of compounds with appropriate characteristics capable of promoting numerous reactions of extreme importance in synthetic organic chemistry. Included in these transformations are oxidations of alkenes, sulfides, alcohols, and alkanes, cyanations, alkynylations, alkylations, hydroaminations, and nitroaldol reactions. An extensive review of the catalysis of organic processes by metal phenolates has been presented in a previous volume of this series. This chapter is an update of the advances published from 2011 to the beginning of 2015, with emphasis on the type of reactions catalyzed by metal phenolates that have gained more attention in the literature during this period. Keywords: alkylations; alkynylations; cyanations; epoxidation; hydroamination; metal phenolates; nitroaldol reactions; sulfoxidation