Recent Progress in Regioselective Carbon-Carbon Bond Forming Reactions Involving “Ambident Substrates”. (Part 2)

The Reactions of Ambident Electrophiles

Abstract

Recent progress in regioselective carbon-carbon bond forming reactions involving “ambident substrates” has been reviewed with 308 selected references. This article is divided into two parts, Part 1 concerns the reactions of ambident nucleophiles which mainly include the di-anions of enolates and the asymmetric allylic carbanions. Part 2 involves the reactions of ambident electrophiles which are represented by α, β-unsaturated carbonyl systems, the SN2'reactions of allylic alcohol derivatives and the epoxy compounds containing a nucleophile in the same molecule. Some plausible explanations and controlling factors of these regioselectivities are summarized.