Synthesis of vinyl selenides and tellurides: an updated review

Over the past years organochalcogen compounds have attracted the attention of many research groups due to their powerful chemical and biological activities. Vinyl selenides and tellurides have proved to be useful in organic synthesis as important tools in different reactions. Noteworthy, this important class of compounds has been shown to possess important biological assets, making them promising drug candidates. Herein, we present a comprehensive and updated review on the state of the art of the available methods developed in the last seven years to obtain vinyl selenides and vinyl tellurides. More than 130 articles were accessed, and their contents were critically revised through three main sections, highlighting the metal-free and metal-promoted synthesis of this valuable class of compounds.