Synthesis and Functionalization of Carbonyl Compounds
Summary
Carbonyl compounds, characterised by a carbon–oxygen double bond, constitute a fundamental class of building blocks in organic synthesis. They are accessed through diverse routes including alcohol oxidation, hydroformylation of alkenes, carbonylation of organometallic reagents and catalytic C–H oxidation. The polarity of the C=O bond renders carbonyls highly amenable to nucleophilic addition, enolate generation and a wealth of condensation and coupling reactions. Enantioselective catalysis has matured to deliver chiral alcohols and amines from prochiral ketones and aldehydes, while advances in photochemical activation and continuous-flow processing have improved both selectivity and sustainability. Functionalisation strategies—ranging from reduction and alkylation to transition-metal-catalysed cross-coupling—enable the rapid assembly of alkenes, alkynes, heterocycles and biorelevant scaffolds. Recent integration of biocatalytic methods with traditional organic chemistry has further expanded the toolkit for greening carbonyl transformations. Collectively, these developments underscore the central role of carbonyl chemistry in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, advanced materials and natural products, reflecting its enduring global significance.
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Synthesis and Functionalization of Carbonyl Compounds publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in synthesis and functionalization of carbonyl compounds across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Carbonyl compound: An organic molecule featuring a C=O moiety, central to numerous synthesis and functionalisation strategies.
Knoevenagel condensation: A base-mediated coupling of carbonyl compounds with active methylene reagents to yield α,β-unsaturated carbonyl products.
Luche reduction: Chemoselective reduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones to allylic alcohols using sodium borohydride and cerium(III) chloride.
Fritsch–Buttenberg–Wiechell rearrangement: A 1,2-shift of a magnesium-alkylidene carbenoid intermediate that transforms vinyl sulfoxides into alkynes.
Dienophile: An electron-deficient alkene or alkyne that undergoes cycloaddition with a diene in Diels–Alder reactions.
References
- Fritsch–Buttenberg–Wiechell rearrangement of magnesium alkylidene carbenoids leading to the formation of alkynes. Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry (2021).
- A Facile One-Pot Process for the Synthesis of Stiripentol.. Oriental Journal Of Chemistry (2022).
- Maleimides Designed for Self-Assembly and Reactivity on Graphene. Molecules (2015).
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