Fischer Carbene Complexes as Chemical Multitalents: The Incredible Range of Products from Carbenepentacarbonylmetal alpha,beta-Unsaturated Complexes

The metal carbene complexes, discovered by E. O. Fischer at the start of the 1960s and carrying his name, have since proved themselves to be irreplaceable building blocks for organic synthesis. In particular, since the discovery of the Dötz reaction, a formal cycloaddition of Fischer alpha,beta-unsaturated carbene complexes to alkynes with CO insertion, this area of chemistry has become increasingly interesting to organic chemists. In spite of the considerable diversity of reactions performed with these complexes, proper selection of substrates and careful adjustment of the reaction conditions have allowed, in most cases the perfectly selective preparation of individual compounds of this enormous range of products. The spectrum of new successes begins with the conventional Diels-Alder reaction of alkynylcarbene complexes and the formal regioselective [3+2] cycloaddition of alkenylcarbene complexes to alkynes. It extends much further, however, from cascade reactions with the formation of oligofunctional and oligocyclic products of impressive molecular complexity to complex, formal [3+6] cocyclizations in which six bonds are formed in a single operational step. Beyond doubt, the methodological arsenal of preparative organic chemistry cannot be imagined any more without the valuable transformations of the Fischer carbene complexes; it only remains to be seen whether one or other of the numerous new types of cocyclization products of these complexes can establish itself as a lead structure in the search for biologically active compounds.