Organolithium-mediated cyclization reactions: a practical way to access hetero- and carbocycles

Abstract

Cyclization reactions are considered as one of the most important reactions in organic synthesis due to the fact that natural molecules contain cyclic components either as part of the molecule or molecular skeleton. This is clearly manifested by the number of strategies for cyclization reactions and the development of various new methods/reagents to improve such reactions. In recent years, the successful in situ generation of functionalized organolithium species without functional group protection has led to considerable interest in organolithium mediated cyclization reactions. This brief focus article highlights the progress in this field and focuses on selected examples in the recent past, which can further result in the design and synthesis of various new hetero- and carbocyclic compounds using simple and commercially available organolithium reagents.