Microwave Assisted Heterofunctionalization of Alkenes and Alkynes

One of the most direct and powerful ways to prepare complex organic compounds containing N, P, O, S, and related elements is the addition of the heteroatom containing group to an unsaturated fragment. Hydroelementation, Michael additions, and oxidation processes provide scientists numerous ways to effect these changes. Microwave assisted synthesis has had a dramatic effect on how synthetic chemists approach the preparation of new compounds due to dramatic increases in reaction rates. The explanation for these rapid reaction rates has not been fully addressed, and the existence of non-thermal microwave effects continues to be the subject of great debate. The blending of microwave assisted chemistry with carbon heteroatom bond forming reactions has generated a host of new and intriguing compounds.