Vinyl and Aryl Sulfonates: Preparations and Applications in Total Synthesis

Abstract

Vinyl and aryl sulfonates are ubiquitous building blocks in organic chemistry, frequently exploited in the total synthesis of natural and non-natural products, due to their ease of formation and to their high reactivity, especially in metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. The present review thus aims at first describing the classical and current methods to prepare these valuable synthons, with an emphasis on reaction mechanisms. The second part of the review aims at highlighting their main applications in organic synthesis, especially in the course of natural product total syntheses. Keywords: Vinyl sulfonates, cross-coupling, elimination, substitution, synthesis, natural products.