Yan Qin, Lihui Zhu, and Sanzhong Luo*

As two coexisting and fast-growing research fields in modern synthetic chemistry, the merging of organocatalysis and C−H bond functionalization is well foreseeable, and the joint force along this line has been demonstrated to be a powerful approach in making inert C−H bond functionalization more viable, predictable, and selective. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of organocatalysis in inert C−H bond functionalization over the past two decades. The review is arranged by types of inert C−H bonds including alkane C−H, arene C−H, and vinyl C−H as well as those activated benzylic C−H, allylic C−H, and C−H bonds alpha to the heteroatom such as nitrogen and oxygen. In each section, the discussion is classified by the explicit organocatalytic mode involved.

This work has been published in Chem. Rev. 2017, 117, 9433–9520.