Synthesis of Heterocycles by Transition Metals-Catalyzed Cyclocarbonylation Reactions

The synthesis of heterocyclic compounds such as lactones, lactams, pyrrolidinones and others can be achieved by cyclocarbonylation reactions catalyzed by transition metal complexes. The combination of palladium salts with certain different ligands turned out to be the most efficient catalyst systems to accomplish such cyclocarbonylation reactions. New synthetic strategies and novel approaches devoted to the preparation of such compounds having different ring size still remain a stimulating area of academic and industrial research.