Boronic esters are versatile intermediates that readily accept nucleophiles and then undergo 1,2-migration, expelling a neighbouring leaving group. Such reactivity enables carbon chains to be grown one atom at a time with high stereocontrol. This Review examines the fundamentals of lithiation–borylation methodology and its application to natural product synthesis.
- Kay Yeung
- Rory C. Mykura
- Varinder K. Aggarwal