Arene Chromium Tricarbonyl Catalyzed Reactions in Organic Synthesis

Arene chromium tricarbonyl complexes have been widely used in synthetic organic chemistry. In this article, catalytic activities of these complexes in hydrogenation and isomerization are discussed. Furthermore, their application to the syntheses of biologically significant compounds such as prostaglandins, sex pheromones and antitumor antibiotics is also reviewed. 1. Introduction 2. Hydrogenation of Conjugated Dienes 2.1. Catalytic Activity and Reaction Mechanism 2.2. Application to Organic Synthesis 2.2.1. Stereocontrol of Acyclic Olefins 2.2.2. Stereocontrol of Exocyclic Olefins 3. Scope and Limitation of Arene · Cr(CO)3 as a Hydrogenation Catalyst 3.1. Hydrogenation of Alkynes 3.2. Hydrogenation of Enones 3.3. Hydrogenation of Other Functional Groups 4. Isomerization of Conjugated Dienes 4.1. Stereocontrolled 1,5-Hydrogen Shift of Conjugated Dienes 4.2. Application to Organic Synthesis 5. Conclusion and Outlook