Arylboronic acids and their derivatives have been widely exploited as important synthetic precursors in organic synthesis, materials science, and pharmaceutical development. In addition to numerous applications in transition-metal-mediated cross-coupling reactions, transition-metal-free transformations involving arylboronic acids and derivatives have recently received a surge of attention for converting the C-B bond to C-C, C-N, C-O, and many other C-X bonds. Consequently, a wide range of useful compounds, e.g., phenols, anilines, nitroarenes, and haloarenes, have been readily synthesized. Amongst these efforts, many versatile reagents have been developed and a lot of practical approaches demonstrated. The research in this promising field is summarized in the current review and organized on the basis of the type of bonds being formed.
Keywords: Amination; Arylboronic acid; Halogenation; Hydroxylation; Transition-metal-free.