This review focuses on the chemistry and synthesis of key cannabinoids, THC and CBD, using organometallic catalysis as a key step. Varied metal reagents like Au, Ru, Pd, Mo, Ir, Rh, Re, Cu, Ni, and Zn involved in the study that emphasizes recent breakthroughs and the potential for efficient synthetic routes to bioactive cannabinoids have been highlighted thoroughly.

Abstract

Cannabis sativa L., a genus of the Cannabis family, is an exclusive source of C21 terpenophenolic cannabinoids and an important class of bioactive compounds known for their health effects. Moreover, cannabinoids are found to exhibit remarkable properties in treating various ailments like rheumatism, asthma, glaucoma, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, and epilepsy. This review shares a broad interest in examining the detailed chemistry of significant cannabinoids—THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol)—with respect to their synthetic advances using organometallic reagents and catalysis. The studies highlighted herein manifest the compilation of a range of metal reagents such as Au, Ru, Pd, Mo, Ir, Rh, Re, Cu, Ni, and Zn for generating cannabinoid natural products from simple building blocks, with emphasis on breakthroughs and potential for their constructive synthesis.