Late-stage
functionalization (LSF) introduces functional group
or structural modification at the final stage of the synthesis of
natural products, drugs, and complex compounds. It is anticipated
that late-stage functionalization would improve drug discovery’s
effectiveness and efficiency and hasten the creation of various chemical
libraries. Consequently, late-stage functionalization of natural products
is a productive technique to produce natural product derivatives,
which significantly impacts chemical biology and drug development.
Carbon–carbon bonds make up the fundamental framework of organic
molecules. Compared with the carbon–carbon bond construction,
the carbon–carbon bond activation can directly enable molecular
editing (deletion, insertion, or modification of atoms or groups of
atoms) and provide a more efficient and accurate synthetic strategy.
However, the efficient and selective activation of unstrained carbon–carbon
bonds is still one of the most challenging projects in organic synthesis.
This review encompasses the strategies employed in recent years for
carbon–carbon bond cleavage by explicitly focusing on their
applicability in late-stage functionalization. This review expands
the current discourse on carbon–carbon bond cleavage in late-stage
functionalization reactions by providing a comprehensive overview
of the selective cleavage of various types of carbon–carbon
bonds. This includes C–C(sp), C–C(sp2), and
C–C(sp3) single bonds; carbon–carbon double
bonds; and carbon–carbon triple bonds, with a focus on catalysis
by transition metals or organocatalysts. Additionally, specific topics,
such as ring-opening processes involving carbon–carbon bond
cleavage in three-, four-, five-, and six-membered rings, are discussed,
and exemplar applications of these techniques are showcased in the
context of complex bioactive molecules or drug discovery. This review
aims to shed light on recent advancements in the field and propose
potential avenues for future research in the realm of late-stage carbon–carbon
bond functionalization.