Cobalt-catalyzed dehydrogenative functionalization of alcohols: Progress and future prospect

Functionalization of alcohol is a promising field in synthesis for the possible conservation of fossil-based-feedstocks, since alcohols can be easily obtained from readily available biomass. Despite the widespread advancement, functionalization of alcohols was predominantly studied using precious metal-based catalysts. The utilization of abundant 3d-metals in catalysis is a cost-effective alternative to their higher congeners. In this context, cobalt is a promising entrant owing to its exceptional catalytic activity and selectivity, unique redox behavior, and diverse reaction mechanism than other transition metals. This review features the advancement in cobalt-catalyzed, both homogeneous and heterogeneous, dehydrogenation of alcohols, numerous CC and CN bond formation reactions, synthesis of heterocycles, and other valuable products formation following the borrowing hydrogen (BH) and acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling (ADC) strategy.