Cobalt-catalyzed dehydrogenative functionalization of alcohols: Progress and future prospect

Functionalization of alcohol is a promising field in synthesis for the possible conservation of fossil-based-feedstocks, since alcohols can be easily obtained from readily available biomass. Despite the widespread advancement, functionalization of alcohols was predominantly studied using precious metal-based catalysts. The utilization of abundant 3d-metals in catalysis is a cost-effective alternative to their higher congeners. In this context, cobalt is a promising entrant owing to its exceptional catalytic activity and selectivity, unique redox behavior, and diverse reaction mechanism than other transition metals. This review features the advancement in cobalt-catalyzed, both homogeneous and heterogeneous, dehydrogenation of alcohols, numerous C C and C N bond formation reactions, synthesis of heterocycles, and other valuable products formation following the borrowing hydrogen (BH) and acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling (ADC) strategy.