Mechanistic Views on the Manganese Catalyzed Homogeneous Coupling Reactions

The transition metal-catalyzed C-C and C-X (X=heteroatom) homo and crosscoupling reactions were pioneered as a momentous strategy for the total synthesis of natural products, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc. Among the various transition metal-catalyzed reactions, manganese catalysis held a distinctive identity owing to its earth-abundance and eco-friendliness apart from its unique characteristics. Despite having many synthetic advancements, exploiting manganese as a catalyst for coupling reactions has recently gained pivotal gravity. An in-depth comprehension of the molecular mechanism of the chemical reaction will provide further insight to optimize the reaction conditions. The mechanisms adopted by Mn-catalyzed couplings are found to differ from other first-row transition metal counterparts. Hence in this article, we provide the state-of-the-art on the detailed theoretical aspects of manganese-catalyzed carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon-heteroatom (C-X; X=Si) coupling reactions.