Transition-metal-catalyzed oxidative and decarboxylative acylations through sp² C-H bond activation

Transition-metal-catalyzed oxidative and decarboxylative acylations of sp² C-H bonds bearing conventional directing groups with various acyl equivalents, such as aldehydes, alcohols, alkylbezenes, α-keto acids, etc. are described. These protocols present an effective and promising route to obtain aryl ketones, which are found to be important precursors for the formation of bioactive molecules and functional materials. Thus, oxidative and decarboxylative C-H acylations potentially provide a catalytic alternative to overcome the limitations of classical Friedel-Crafts acylation. This review is intended to give an overview on recent advances on catalytic acylation reactions through C-H bond activation.