Synthetic methods: part (ii) oxidation and reduction methods

This Report highlights advances in some of the most commonly used oxidation and reduction reactions, focusing on the literature from 2008. Significant advances in oxidation chemistry include site-selective epoxidation of polyprenols, bis(hydroxamic acid) ligands for vanadium(V)-catalysed highly enantioselective epoxidation of cis-disubstituted olefins, a direct catalytic aziridination of styrenes with ammonia and an aerobic ruthenium-catalysed alkene to aldehyde oxidation displaying non-Wacker regiochemistry. Significant advances in reduction chemistry include adaptive supramolecular METAMORPhos ligands for asymmetric alkene hydrogenation, early main-group metal catalysts for alkene hydrogenation and the use of frustrated Lewis pairs to effect H2 bond scission for imine and nitrile reduction.