Recent advances and prospects in the Zn-catalysed Mannich reaction

Zn-catalysed reactions are ubiquitously important due to their inexpensive, generally less toxic and atom-economic nature. According to the modern criteria of sustainability, their use in a catalytic manner is a highly desirable goal, especially when using chiral ligands. Considering the relevance of well-established zinc-mediated C–C bond formation reactions, it is relatively surprising that the use of Zn as a catalyst is still underdeveloped, especially in comparison with other transition metals. The vast majority of natural molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids and most biologically active compounds, contain nitrogen. Consequently, developing new synthetic methods for the construction of nitrogenous molecules receives great attention from organic chemists. The Mannich reaction is a very basic and very useful platform for the development of several such nitrogen-containing molecules. In this review, we summarise the recent advancements in the Zn-catalysed Mannich reaction, covering the literature from 2011 to 2020.