The evolution of directing group strategies for C(sp)–H activation

Abstract

In this review, we highlight the journey of C(sp³)–H activation, how it started and flourished over the years as well as overcame its shortcomings, to identify future research directions in this exciting field. Herein, we intend to provide a broad picture to the reader about how this field has evolved since its inception. To date three main directing group (DG)-based strategies have been devised to perform C(sp³)–H activation in aliphatic molecules. They are: a static DG or template-assisted approach, a transient DG (TDG) approach, and a native functional group (NFG)-assisted approach. In each section, we provide a brief discussion on the evolution, type of functionalization, advantages and shortcomings of the process of C(sp³)–H activation.