The Heck-Mizoroki cross-coupling reaction: a mechanistic perspective

The Heck-Mizoroki cross-coupling reaction is an important part of the synthetic chemist's toolbox, and it has been applied to a huge variety of different substrates. In contrast, the mechanism of the process is much less studied, and consequently less understood. There have been numerous studies reported over recent years, both experimental and theoretical, aimed at uncovering the inner working of this palladium-mediated coupling process. This perspective aims to review and compare these works and to provide an up-to-date view of this reaction.