Recent developments in copper-catalyzed reactions of diazo compounds

Copper-catalyzed reaction of diazo compounds generates copper carbene intermediates that undergo diverse transformations. In recent years, the selectivity and efficiency of these important conversions have been further improved. In particular, breakthroughs have been made in catalytic asymmetric polar X–H bond insertion reactions. Moreover, novel transformations based on copper carbene, namely copper-catalyzed cross-couplings of diazo compounds, have emerged as powerful methods for carbon–carbon bond formations. This feature article summarizes the most recent developments in this area.