Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative 1,2-Hetero-difunctionalization of Alkene

Abstract

Alkene difunctionalization has emerged as a powerful strategy for the rapid construction of molecular complexity from simple and readily available feedstock chemicals. Among the various difunctionalization manifolds, oxidative alkene difunctionalization has attracted increasing attention due to its ability to enable nucleophile–nucleophile addition without the need for prefunctionalized electrophilic partners. In this context, iron catalysis offers a particularly attractive platform owing to iron’s low cost, high natural abundance, and versatile redox properties. Over the past decade, iron-catalyzed oxidative alkene hetero-difunctionalization has become a rapidly evolving field, enabling the installation of various heteroatom functionalities across carbon–carbon double bonds through radical-mediated pathways. This mini-review summarizes recent advances in iron-catalyzed oxidative hetero-difunctionalization of alkenes, with a focus on both symmetrical and unsymmetrical heteroatom difunctionalization reactions. Key mechanistic features, reaction scope, and limitations are discussed to provide an overview of current progress and highlight opportunities for future development in sustainable alkene difunctionalization chemistry.