Rh(I) Complexes in Catalysis: A Five-Year Trend

Rhodium is one of the most used metals in catalysis both in laboratory reactions and industrial processes. Despite the extensive exploration on classical ligands carried out during the past decades in the field of rhodium-catalyzed reactions, such as phosphines, and other common types of ligands including N-heterocyclic carbenes, ferrocenes, cyclopentadienyl anion and pentamethylcyclopentadienyl derivatives, etc., there is still lively research activity on this topic, with considerable efforts being made toward the synthesis of new preformed rhodium catalysts that can be both efficient and selective. Although the golden age of homogeneous catalysis might seem over, there is still plenty of room for improvement, especially from the point of view of a more sustainable chemistry. In this review, temporally restricted to the analysis of literature during the past five years (2015-2020), the latest findings and trends in the synthesis and applications of Rh(I) complexes to catalysis will be presented. From the analysis of the most recent literature, it seems clear that rhodium-catalyzed processes still represent a stimulating challenge for the metalloorganic chemist that is far from being over.

Automated summary

Despite extensive exploration in the field of rhodium-catalyzed reactions in the past decades, researchers are still working on synthesizing new efficient and selective rhodium catalysts. From the most recent literature, it is evident that rhodium-catalyzed processes continue to present a stimulating challenge for metalloorganic chemists.