Azobenzenes are a unique class of
compounds that originally aroused
interest because of their exceptional photochromic properties. Selective
reactions allowing the preparation of complex polysubstituted azo-based
photoswitches, in a direct and efficient manner, have received considerable
attention over the past few years. Among them, regio- and chemoselective
C–H bond activation in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst
has emerged as the most attractive and challenging strategy in the
synthesis of sterically constrained azo compounds. This synthetic
approach is currently an intensive research field for introducing
functional and structural diversity from azobenzenes. This short review
summarizes the recent advances in both ortho-functionalization
of azobenzenes and the synthesis of azo-derived heterocycles based
on transition-metal-catalyzed direct C–H bond activation. The
substrate scope, limitation, reaction mechanism as well as additional
applications are discussed.