Recent Developments of Palladium- and Rhodium-Catalyzed β-Carbon Elimination Strategies

Abstract The activation of C–C bonds via transition metal catalysis has become an increasingly popular strategy in organic synthesis. An emerging method to cleave C–C bonds is to facilitate a β-carbon elimination using rhodium or palladium catalysis. This elementary step typically relies on a thermodynamic driving force, such as the relief of ring strain or steric strain. More recently, the use of neopentyl metal species or chelation assistance has enabled this difficult transformation. This review will cover recent synthetic applications of β-carbon eliminations under palladium and rhodium catalysis. 1 Introduction 2 Chelation-Assisted β-Carbon Elimination Reactions 3 β-Carbon Elimination from Neopentyl–Pd Species 4 Pd-Catalyzed Catellani Reactions 5 β-Carbon Elimination Reactions of Cyclopropanes 6 Conclusion