Transition-metal-catalyzed directed C-H functionalization with various carbene precursors has been widely employed for constructing a wide range of complex and diverse active molecules through metal carbene migratory insertion processes. Among various carbene precursors, iodonium ylides serve as a novel and emerging carbene precursor with features including easy accessibility, thermal stability and high activity, which have attracted great attention from organic chemists and have achieved tremendous success in organic transformation. In this review, recent progress on the application of iodonium ylides with multifunctional coupling characteristics in C-H bond activation reactions is summarized, and the potential of iodonium ylides is discussed.
Keywords: C–H activation; iodonium ylides; transition metal-catalyzed.