Organo-iron mediated synthesis of functional dendrimers with 1 → 3 connectivity

The organo-iron mediated activation of arene in the sandwich complexes [FeCp(η6-arene)][PF6] is shown to produce 1 → 3 connectivity at benzylic positions that was utilized for dendrimer syntheses. This mini-review of the work carried out in the authors’ laboratory summarizes this principle and its applications with emphasis on recent significant improvements in the CpFe+-mediated reactions, recyclability of the CpFe+ group, mechanistic features and examples of efficient and useful functionalization reactions.