Recently, gem-diborylalkanes have attracted much attention as versatile building blocks and fundamental intermediates in organic synthesis, because they enable multiple C-C bond construction and further transformation at C-B bonds. Importantly, gem-diborylalkanes can be utilised as bisnucleophilic partners in a variety of chemo-selective C-C bond-forming reactions. This review describes recent developments in synthesising gem-diborylalkanes in complex molecules along with their chemical transformation. In the first part of the review the different synthetic approaches used to synthesise gem-diborylalkanes are described. In the second part, an overview of the chemoselective transformation of gem-diborylalkanes into various functionalized materials is discussed along with one-carbon homologation of diborylmethane via a selective uni- and bidirectional method.

Herein we describe a cobalt-catalyzed C-H activation of aryl and heteroaryl sulfonamides and their intermolecular heteroannulation reaction with allenes, providing a convergent strategy for the synthesis of biologically interesting heterocyclic scaffolds. Carbometallation of allenes proceeds selectively through a Co-alkenyl pathway for a wide range of electron-poor and electron-rich allenes.

The first example of simple Re(2)O(7)-catalyzed direct dehydrative coupling between allylic alcohols with electron-deficient amines has been achieved under mild and open flask conditions. The protocol has also been successfully applied to benzylic and propargylic alcohols. The mechanistic proof for the S(N)1-type process has also been provided.