Development of highly selective synthetic methods utilizing arenetricarbonylchromium complexes and their application to syntheses of therapeutic agents

The development of new methodologies for the stereocontrolled synthesis of complex molecules is very important for the efficient synthesis of therapeutic agents. In this review, 1) the stereocontrolled synthesis of exocyclic olefins using arene.Cr(CO)3-catalyzed 1,4-hydrogenation of conjugated diene and its application to the synthesis of prostacyclin analogs, 2) new catalytic activities of arene.Cr(CO)3 as a hydrogenation catalyst, 3) the stereocontrolled synthesis of silyl dienol ethers and dienamides using arene.Cr(CO)3-catalyzed isomerization, and 4) a novel carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction through eta 5-pentadienylchromium complexes, are described.