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A visible-light-mediated procedure for the unprecedented trifluoromethylchlorosulfonylation of unactivated alkenes is presented. It uses [Cu(dap)2]Cl as catalyst, and contrasts with [Ru(bpy)3]Cl2, [Ir(ppy)2(dtbbpy)]PF6, or eosin Y that exclusively give rise to trifluoromethylchlorination of the same alkenes. It is assumed that [Cu(dap)2]Cl plays a dual role, that is, acting both as an electron transfer reagent as well as coordinating the reactants in the bond forming processes.

Amines are important building blocks possessing various applications in agrochemicals, the fine chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, materials science and biotechnology. The catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles is an important reaction for the one‐step synthesis of diverse amines. However, significant amounts of side product formation during the course of the reaction is a major issue. In recent years, an enormous amount of work has been reported using both homogeneous and heterogeneous transition metal complex catalysts for the selective reduction of nitriles. Transition metal catalysts are the most crucial factor that controls the selectivity in this reaction. Therefore, transition metal catalysts are the central point of this review. We have also briefly discussed the effect of reaction parameters, selectivity to different substrate structures and reaction mechanisms. This review provides an overview of recent developments in transition metal‐catalyzed nitrile reduction along with examples which highlight its vast potential in organic transformations.magnified image

The vinylation of iodobenzene with methyl acrylate has been studied with several supported palladium catalysts in N-methylpyrrolidone in the presence of triethylamine and/or sodium carbonate. The reaction can be performed in air without any solubilizing or activating ligands. It was found that significant amounts of palladium leach out into the solvent and these dissolved Pd species essentially catalyze the reaction. It is interesting, however, that almost all the palladium species in the solution can redeposit onto the surface of the supports after the reaction has been completed (at 100% conversion of iodobenzene). Thus, the catalysts were recyclable without loss of activity. The use of both inorganic and organic bases is very effective in the promotion of the palladium redeposition as well as in the enhancement of the reaction rate. For Heck reactions with bromobenzene and chlorobenzene it was found that the use of triethylamine and sodium carbonate increases the selectivity of the Heck coupling product (benzene is also produced for these two substrates), but the mixed bases do not affect the overall rate of reaction as much.