Novel Reactivities and Selectivities for Synthetic Organic Chemistry – Design of Catalysts for the Activation of C–H Bonds

The activation and functionalization of C–H bonds constitutes a conceptually ideal pathway towards molecular complexity. However, the high chemical stability of C–H bonds and the presence of multiple nearly identical bonds in substrate molecules pose substantial challenges for the design of suitable catalysts. A prevalent and highly successful strategy has been the use of strongly directing functionalities, which induce both reactivity and selectivity, but at the same time limit the applicability of the respective methods and introduce additional synthetic steps. In this talk strategies towards achieving reactivity and selectivity without the use of such exogenous directing groups will be discussed. Examples from the van Gemmeren lab will be used to illustrate general strategies towards novel reactivities and selectivities in the field of C–H activation, ultimately aiming for valuable synthetic methods that are suitable for late-stage functionalization.