Access to Atropisomerically En­riched Biaryls by the Coupling of Aryllithiums with Arynes under Control by Homochiral Oxazolines

Asymmetric reactions involving aryne intermediates

Although arynes are usually considered fleeting intermediates, they are highly valuable synthons because they enable the introduction of aromatic rings and the simultaneous formation of new bonds at two sites. Although catalytic reactions using transition metals are excellent method for constructing complex polycyclic aromatic molecules in a single step, the use of asymmetric catalysis for the capture of arynes remains a crucial goal for the progress of aryne chemistry. Catalytic asymmetric reactions of arenes are challenging, requiring sufficient interactions between the neutral and highly reactive short-lived aryne intermediates in a stereo-controlled fashion. In addition, spontaneous decomposition, as well as side reactions, has hindered their development and, until recently, highly enantioselective reactions using arynes had remained elusive. This Review highlights asymmetric reactions using arynes, featuring diastereoselective, enantioselective and catalytic enantioselective reactions.

Aryne-based strategy in the total synthesis of naturally occurring polycyclic compounds

This review has outlined the strategies and tactics of using arynes in the total syntheses of polycyclic natural products.

Synthesis of biaryls using aryne intermediates

The synthesis of biaryls from benzyne intermediates offers an alternative strategy to conventional metal-catalyzed cross-coupling approaches.