C−H activation has surfaced as an increasingly powerful tool for molecular sciences, with notable applications to material sciences, crop protection, drug discovery, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Despite major advances, the vast majority of these C−H functionalizations required precious 4d or 5d transition metal catalysts. Given the cost-effective and sustainable nature of earth-abundant first row transition metals, the development of less toxic, inexpensive 3d metal catalysts for C−H activation has gained considerable recent momentum as a significantly more environmentally-benign and economically-attractive alternative. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview on first row transition metal catalysts for C−H activation until summer 2018.

Triazole assistance set the stage for a unified strategy for the iron-catalyzed C-H allylation of arenes, heteroarenes, and alkenes with ample scope. The versatile catalyst also proved competent for site-selective methylation, benzylation, and alkylation with challenging primary and secondary halides. Triazole-assisted C-H activation proceeded chemo-, site-, and diastereo-selectively, and the modular TAM directing group was readily removed in a traceless fashion under exceedingly mild reaction conditions.

Enantioselective gold-catalysis is emerging as a powerful tool in organic synthesis for the stereoselective manipulation of unfunctionalized unsaturated hydrocarbons. Despite the exponential growth, the molecular complexity of common chiral gold complexes generally prevents a complete description of the mechanism steps and activation modes being documented. In this study, we present the results of a combined experimental-computational (DFT) investigation of the mechanism of the enantioselective gold-catalyzed allylic alkylation of indoles with alcohols. A stepwise S(N)2'-process (i.e. anti-auroindolination of the olefin, proton-transfer, and subsequent anti-elimination [Au]-OH) is disclosed, leading to a library of tricyclic-fused indole derivatives. The pivotal role played by the gold counterion, in terms of molecular arrangement (i.e. "folding effect") and proton-shuttling in restoring the catalytic species, is finally documented.

While iron-catalyzed C–H activation offers an attractive reaction methodology for organic transformations, the lack of molecular-level insight into the in situ formed and reactive iron species impedes continued reaction development. Herein, freeze-trapped 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray crystallography combined with reactivity studies are employed to define the key cyclometalated iron species active in triazole-assisted iron-catalyzed C–H activation. These studies provide the first direct experimental definition of an activated intermediate, which has been identified as the low-spin iron­(II) complex [(sub-A)­(dppbz)­(THF)­Fe]2(μ-MgX2), where sub-A is a deprotonated benzamide substrate. Reaction of this activated intermediate with additional diarylzinc leads to the formation of a cyclometalated iron­(II)–aryl species, which upon reaction with oxidant, generates C–H arylated product at a catalytically relevant rate. Furthermore, pseudo-single-turnover reactions between catalytically relevant iron intermediates and excess nucleophile identify transmetalation as rate-determining, whereas C–H activation is shown to be facile under the reaction conditions.

Iron-catalyzed C-H activation has recently emerged as an increasingly powerful tool for the step-economical transformation of unreactive C-H bonds. Particularly, the recent development of low-valent iron catalysis has set the stage for novel C-H activation strategies via chelation assistance. The low-cost, natural abundance, and low toxicity of iron prompted its very recent application in organometallic C-H activation catalysis. An overview of the use of iron catalysis in C-H activation processes is summarized herein up to May 2016.

We describe the synthesis of a new class of trisulfonamide calix[6]arene-based wheels that can bind dialkylviologen salts, in apolar media. The threading process occurs through a selective ion-pair recognition, established by the sulfonamide groups with the counterions of the bipyridinium salts, that dictates a conformational rearrangement of the corresponding pseudorotaxanes.

C-H alkylations with challenging β-hydrogen-containing alkyl halides were accomplished with sustainable MnCl as the catalyst under phosphine-ligand-free conditions. The proximity-induced benzamide C-H activation occurred with ample substrate scope through rate-determining C-H metalation, also setting the stage for manganese-catalyzed oxidative C-H methylations.

Triazole assistance enabled the first iron-catalyzed C-H alkynylation of arenes, heteroarenes, and alkenes. The modular TAM directing group set the stage for a sequential C-H alkynylation/annulation strategy with ample scope, enabling the iron-catalyzed assembly of isoquinolones, pyridones, pyrrolones, and isoindolinones with high levels of chemo-, site-, and regioselectivity.