Abstract
Carbon-hydrogen bond activation which hopefully enables to directly utilize natural hydrocarbon resources is a subject of considerable importance in the future chemical industry. In particular, organometallic chemistry involving carbon-hydrogen bond activation is a field which is experiencing vigorous growth today. The article reviews the current status of the following aspects in this challenging field; 1) methodology to activate carbonhydrogen bonds, 2) selectivity and thermodynamic considerations, and 3) applications to functionalize hydrocarbons in the presence of transition metal complexes as reagents or catalysts.
