Iron-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions Tuned by Bulky Ortho-Phenylene Bisphosphine Ligands

The significant progress made in the context of iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in the past several years has boosted competition with well-known nickel and palladium catalyst systems. Iron-catalyzed protocols not only benefit from economic and toxicology standpoints, but also exhibit a range of reactivities and tolerate many functional groups. To date several iron catalyst systems have been developed, ranging from the use of simple iron salts to more complex stoichiometric/catalytic modifiers. Effective N-heterocyclic carbenes and bisphosphine ligands have also been developed for the cross-coupling reactions of organic electrophiles using diverse organometallic reagents. Indeed, the use of bisphosphine ligands in the field of iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions is important for new applications in modern synthetic organic chemistry. This account summarizes the recent developments in practical and novel iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions employing bulky o-phenylene bisphosphine ligands and their mechanistic views.

Automated summary

The recent significant progress in iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions has led to competition with well-established nickel and palladium catalyst systems. Iron-catalyzed protocols are advantageous in terms of economy and toxicity, exhibit a wide range of reactivities, and tolerate many functional groups. Development of various iron catalyst systems, including the use of N-heterocyclic carbenes and bisphosphine ligands, has opened up new applications in modern synthetic organic chemistry.