Recent Advances in Transition Metal-Promoted Multicomponent Cascade Reactions for Controlled Synthesis of Complex Carborane Derivatives

Carboranes are a class of carbon-boron molecular clusters with exceptional thermal and chemical stabilities. They are finding a a variety of applications in medicine, materials, and coordination/organometallic chemistry as functional building blocks. To this end, the selective functionalization of carboranes has received growing research interests. Transition metal-promoted multicomponent cascade reactions are particularly attractive since they have the advantages of step- and atom-economy for the construction of complex products from readily available starting materials by simple operations. The recent advances in transition metal-promoted multicomponent cascade reactions for selective functionalization of carboranes are summarized in this focus review. The related reaction mechanisms and challenges in this research area are also discussed.