In Pursuit of an Ideal Carbon-Carbon Bond-Forming Reaction: Development and Applications of the Hydrovinylation of Olefins

Attempts to introduce the highly versatile vinyl group into other organic molecules in a chemo-, regio- and stereoselective fashion via catalytic activation of ethylene provided challenging opportunities to explore new ligand and salt effects in homogeneous catalysis. This review provides a personal account of the development of enantioselective reactions involving ethylene.