Enantioselective Transfer Reactions of α-Heteroatom-Substituted Carbenes

Metal carbenes are widely acknowledged as a category of highly effective intermediates that facilitate otherwise inaccessible transformations. In recent decades, carbene chemistry has made considerable advances and has demonstrated remarkable abilities in the formation of diverse chemical bonds and the synthesis of structurally distinctive molecules. Nevertheless, the majority of research within this field has concentrated on α-carbon-substituted carbenes, with comparatively little investigation of carbenes that have been functionalized with a wider structural variety, particularly those that have been substituted with heteroatoms (e.g., O, N, P, S, Si, Ge, Sn and B). The objective of this review is to elucidate the advancements in enantioselective transfer reactions involving metal carbenes substituted with these elements, thereby highlighting their contribution to the expansion of the structural diversity and synthetic utility of carbenes in contemporary chemistry.