Bimetallic anchoring catalysis for C-H and C-C activation

Following the age of directing group, anchoring catalysis starts coming to the center of the stage. Different from the directing-group strategy that needs a preinstalled directing group in substrates, anchoring catalysis relies on a reversible interaction between a substrate and a catalyst, which then directs metal to activate inert chemical bonds. Such reversible directing effect not only generates good site- and stereo-selectivity as traditional directing groups do but also eliminates the requirement of stoichiometric amounts of directing groups. Among variously reported anchoring catalysis, coordinative bimetallic anchoring catalysis in general displays superior reactivity than others because coordinative bonding not only affords strong interaction of catalysts with substrates but also displays good compatibility with substrates and reaction conditions. In recent years, big progress has been achieved for coordinative bimetallic anchoring catalysis. This review gave a detailed summary of this field, including catalyst development, catalyst types, reaction types and reaction mechanisms.