Palladium catalysis in the synthesis of medicinal agents.
Palladium-catalyzed reactions are having a great impact on the synthesis of medicinal agents due to their ability to form carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds effectively. Quite often the palladium-catalyzed step(s) in a synthesis is key to the overall strategy for preparing a drug candidate. The diversity of the coupling processes is being broadened by the availability of new functionalities for the oxidative addition and transmetalation steps. In addition, the development of new ligands, or the application of existing ligands, is playing a large role in expanding the choices of coupling partners. Traditionally, palladium reactions have constructed achiral systems, however, the number of successful asymmetric syntheses with palladium chemistry is growing. This review will cover the variety of coupling reactions that have been applied to drug synthesis, with representative examples highlighted from the recent literature.
Larsen
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Merck & Co Inc, PO Box 2000, R801-201, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA. rob_larsen@merck.com