Rd. Broene et Sl. Buchwald, ZIRCONOCENE COMPLEXES OF UNSATURATED ORGANIC-MOLECULES - NEW VEHICLESFOR ORGANIC-SYNTHESIS, Science, 261(5129), 1993, pp. 1696-1701
Transition metals are known to stabilize high-energy species and to ac
tivate otherwise unreactive ones. The zirconocene unit stabilizes high
ly strained alkynes and alkenes, allowing their use in selective carbo
n-carbon bond-forming reactions. This unit also increases the reactivi
ty of unactivated molecules, enabling them to participate in nontradit
ional transformations. A general route has been developed that allows
a wider variety of unsaturated fragments to participate in these react
ions. The use of these zirconocene complexes in organic synthesis has
led to the development of novel routes to a number of polyfunctionaliz
ed organic molecules.