Recent advances in homogeneous nickel catalysis

Some of the most recent and significant developments in homogeneous nickel catalysis are reviewed, including nickel-mediated cross-coupling reactions and carbon–hydrogen bond activation reactions. Nickel is an important catalyst that has attracted particular interest from organic chemists since the 1970s, both for cross-coupling and for a range of reactions of alkenes and alkynes. This Review focuses on more recent advances in the use of homogeneous nickel catalysis in small-molecule synthesis, including nickel-mediated cross-coupling reactions and C–H activation reactions. Tremendous advances have been made in nickel catalysis over the past decade. Several key properties of nickel, such as facile oxidative addition and ready access to multiple oxidation states, have allowed the development of a broad range of innovative reactions. In recent years, these properties have been increasingly understood and used to perform transformations long considered exceptionally challenging. Here we discuss some of the most recent and significant developments in homogeneous nickel catalysis, with an emphasis on both synthetic outcome and mechanism.