Recent Progress on the Application of Sulfoxonium Ylides in C—H Activation

Abstract

Transition-metal-catalyzed chelation-assisted C-H functionalization has been increasingly explored as an efficient and atom-economical strategy for construction of C-C bonds. In particular, employing the carbene synthons as a coupling partner in C-H activation has been significantly developed. Compared with the traditional carbene precursors such as diazo compounds, sulfoxonium ylides are easier to synthesize and safer in reaction, which can be employed as practical alternatives in metal-carbene reactions. Recently, the coupling reactions of sulfoxonium ylides with organometallic intermediates, generated via C-H bond activation, have been reported. They have served as privileged synthetic skeletons to access ortho-C-H acylmethylated or cyclized compounds. The recent progress on the application of sulfoxonium ylides in C-H activation is summarized and the future research direction is prospect.