Synthetic methods part (ii) oxidation and reduction methods

This Report highlights key advances in some of the most commonly used oxidation and reduction reactions, focusing on the literature from 2011. The structure of this review follows that of the previous years Report by Asghar and Lewis. (S. F. Asghar and S. E. Lewis, Annu. Rep. Prog. Chem., Sect. B, 2011, 107, 34, ref 1). In the field of oxidation, a number of prominent advances have emerged. Notably, Shi and co-workers continue to build on their work in the deamination field through their detailed studies on the regioselectivity of the Cu(I)-catalysed deamination of conjugated dienes (Y. Shi et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, ref 36). They reveal that the regioselectivity is governed by the the choice of Cu(I) catalyst and the substituents on the diene substrate. There have also been significant advances in the area of C–H oxidation, with Stambuli showing the stereoselectivity of cis-vinylsilane allylic acetoxylation to be dependent upon the nature of the oxidant used (Stambuli et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, ref 66). In the field of reduction chemistry, the Ward group developed an artificial metalloenzyme, where an iridium-catalyst was incorporated into a chiral enzyme for the asymmetric transfer of hydrogen for the production of enantiopure amines (Ward et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2011, ref 129). Meanwhile, Strotman and co-authors have demonstrated the first intramolecular reductive amination between dialkyl ketones and aliphatic amines. (Strotman et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, ref 121).