Direct radical functionalization methods to access substituted adamantanes and diamondoids

Adamantane derivatives have diverse applications in the fields of medicinal chemistry, catalyst development and nanomaterials, owing to their unique structural, biological and stimulus-responsive properties, among others. The synthesis of substituted adamantanes and substituted higher diamondoids is frequently achieved via carbocation or radical intermediates that have unique stability and reactivity when compared to simple hydrocarbon derivatives. In this review, we discuss the wide range of radical-based functionalization reactions that directly convert diamondoid C-H bonds to C-C bonds, providing a variety of products incorporating diverse functional groups (alkenes, alkynes, arenes, carbonyl groups, etc.). Recent advances in the area of selective C-H functionalization are highlighted with an emphasis on the H-atom abstracting species and their ability to activate the particularly strong C-H bonds that are characteristic of these caged hydrocarbons, providing insights that can be applied to the C-H functionalization of other substrate classes.

New advances in the catalysis of organic reactions by iron compounds

The review summarizes and systematizes the literature data on a new promising application area of iron compounds, that is, catalysis of organic reactions. The considered reactions include halogenation, formation of C−C bonds with the participation of various substrates, new methods for the synthesis of ethers and aromatic and heteroaromatic carboxylic acid esters, N-alkylation of aliphatic and aromatic amines and amidation of olefins and cyclopropane-containing hydrocarbons. The advances in the synthesis of quinolines and unusual cyclization reactions catalyzed by iron complexes are described.

The bibliography includes 144 references.