Advancement of vinylene carbonate as a coupling partner in metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization

Abstract

Organic carbonates are important and valuable building blocks in synthetic chemistry. Among them, vinylene carbonate (VC) has emerged as a promising coupling partner to participate in various attractive C–H conversions and implement an increasing number of novel reactions. In this review, we provide a summary of the advancement achieved in metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization using VC as a popular coupling partner. We systematically discuss different reaction forms, including acylmethylation, [n + 2] cyclization, [n + 1] cyclization, [n + 2 + 1] cyclization, and [n + 3] cyclization. Diverse reaction mechanisms are demonstrated to inspire further research in this promising field of organic carbonates.