Dirhodium(II) Carbenes : A Rich Source of Chiral Products

The last decade has witnessed enormous growth in the asymmetric synthetic applications of dirhodium(II) carbenes generated from diazo-precursors. Innovative construction of 'designer' catalysts has played an integral role in extending the breadth of the synthetic cascade of non-racemic products now available through a range of cyclopropanation, C-X insertion, aromatic cycloaddition-rearrangement, and ylide-based reaction types. This review, whilst mindful of importance of the catalytic system, focuses primarily on the latter feature of product diversity. South African Journal of Chemistry Vol.54 2001: 1-40