(Cross) coupling reactions are important for the formation of C–C and C–X (X = heteroatom) bonds and are used for the synthesis of a wide variety of molecules. The role of a catalyst in these reactions is effectively performed by metals, especially metals such as palladium, platinum, silver and copper. Although palladium has dominated the world of coupling reactions, the use of copper predates the discovery of palladium catalysts. Early research focused largely on the use of stoichiometric amounts of copper. At the beginning of the 20th century, Fritz Ullmann described the first form of coupling, which today is called the Ullmann reaction, by forming biaryls via the reductive coupling of two aryl halides, using stoichiometric amounts of copper. The traditional version of this reaction is known to require harsh reaction conditions, has poor product yields, and is limited to electron-deficient aryl halides. Modern versions of the Ullmann reaction began to include various ligands, which provided the necessary support to the copper catalyst complexes and thus modified the reaction conditions and expanded the range of useful substrates. At the turn of the 21st century, numerous reports began to appear describing catalytic cross-coupling reactions based on various copper complexes and salts for the formation of C–C and C–X bonds. It was discovered that Cu-catalysts can perform cross-coupling reactions of various organometal reagents such as organomagnesium (Grignard reagent), organosilicon, organotin and organoboron with alkyl, aryl and heteroaryl halides with high efficiency. The reason for the increasing interest in organocopper compounds is the desire for long-term chemical syntheses and methods, since copper salts are present in larger amount in the Earth's crust, are cheaper and less toxic compared to some precious metals, such as palladium. The low availability of precious metals is a major cause of concern, especially in cases where their consumption is increasing. Based on the current level of consumption and the demand for palladium in various reactions, it is reasonable to argue that the industrial use of coupling reactions cannot remain sustainable in the long term.
This thesis summarizes the early discoveries and some later advances in the field of Cu-catalyzed (cross)coupling reactions. The examples are sorted by bond type (C–C, C–N, C–O and C–S).
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