Cobalt-Catalyzed Isomerization of Alkenes

Abstract Catalytic isomerization of alkenes is a highly atom-economical approach to upgrade from lower- to higher-value alkenes. Consequently, tremendous attention has been devoted to the development of this transformation, approaches which exploit cobalt catalysis are particularly attractive. This short review focuses on the cobalt-catalyzed alkene isomerization, including positional isomerization, geometric isomerization, and cycloisomerization. Three main types of reaction mechanism have been discussed to help the reader to better understand and make meaningful comparison between the different transformations. 1 Introduction 2 Positional Isomerization 3 Geometric Isomerization 4 Cycloisomerization 5 Conclusion and Outlook